Last night on 7NEWS, you saw our in depth investigation into the case of Carlos Popper and the ministers who sold him a parcel of land in the Turneffe Islands range of cayes. As we reported, Popper built a million dollar resort on the wrong piece of land, and lost it all. He claims he was led there by the man who hooked him up with the purchase, then Minister of State in the Ministry of Natural Resources Ainslie Leslie, working on behalf of his fellow minister Servulo Baeza.
Baeza is a political protectorate of Minister of Natural Resources and Deputy Prime Minister John Briceno. Two weeks ago, we asked Briceno what he thinks of the conduct of Baeza, and the issue of public officials making big money on private transactions. Here's what the country's #2 man had to say.
Jules Vasquez,
How do you respond to the entire controversy that has erupted around Mr. Popper's piece of land?
Hon. Johnny Briceno, Minister of Natural Resources
"I think what is important to note is that Mr. Popper built on private land. When you buy your piece of land it has coordinates from the surveyor and anybody can show you, once you take your GPS readings you can know you're on the wrong piece of land. For one reason or the other Mr. Popper chose to build on this beautiful piece of property but the property that he bought was one that was probably a mile away from there so its unfortunate that he made this mistake but it is a private transaction."
Jules Vasquez,
It is a private transaction that involved a Minister and a Minister sold the land.
Hon. Johnny Briceno,
"Its not a Minister involved in this, it doesn't matter if...if you sold a land to a person Jules but when you are building you have to ensure that you're building in the right place. He decided to build, for one reason or the other, I am not in anyway accusing Mr. Popper, he just built in the wrong place and I feel for him, I'm sorry for him, and we are trying to find a way, if we could find somewhere else where we could accommodate Mr. Popper."
Jules Vasquez,
But at the end of the day, he is saying that Ainslie Leslie led him, showed him that piece of land and said, 'this is my land and this is Servulo's land,' and he then transacted to buy land. The surveyor has signed a sworn affidavit saying Ainslie Leslie, he did not do his homework, he did not check his GPS coordinates, Ainslie Leslie showed him a map and he knowingly built with the wrong map.
Hon. Johnny Briceno,
"Well it doesn't matter if it is Ainslie Leslie or if it is you that showed him the land. Who supposed to be fired is the surveyor because the surveyor's job should have been to ensure that he is on the right piece of land and if that surveyor can sign an affidavit that he made this mistake because he did not verify it, then maybe who supposed to be sued is the surveyor."
Jules Vasquez,
Would as a Minister sell a piece of land that you had gotten through a public office, would you sell a piece of land for $150,000?
Hon. Johnny Briceno,
"Well I don't know what he sold it for."
Jules Vasquez,
He's saying he paid Servulo Baeza through his driver $150,000 for the land. Do you think he acted properly, Servulo?
Hon. Johnny Briceno,
"Jules I can't comment on that, I don't know if that is the fact. Who knows?"
Who knows? Well we do. As we've shown, the checks Popper paid to Servulo Baeza's driver Guillermino Briceno are for $75,000, $45,000, and $35,000, all to a total of $150,000. And there's also the transfer of lease document, dated December 9th 2002 which shows that Baeza applied to transfer title for 5 acres of land on Rope Walk Caye to Popper. Presumably through Baeza's facilitation, Popper got title the very same day.
Briceno also pointed out that the surveyor is at fault, and indeed he is, but in a sworn affidavit, he blames Minister Ainslie Leslie who asked him to do the survey, which he did for free. Surveyor Guido Chulin swore in his affidavit that as then junior minister in the Ministry of Natural Resources Leslie showed him the area to survey, and gave him the map to use for a reference. It turns out that was a faulty reference...and as they say, the rest is history.
And while the Minister of Natural Resources will not stand up for Popper, certainly not against his political understudy Servulo Baeza, one man who might have been expected to try and work something out for one of the only upscale Belizean born resort owners as he was losing his investment, was Minister of Tourism Godfrey Smith. Popper appealed to him directly, and tomorrow, we'll tell you how that went.
