That's what the UDP had to say and today a senior member of the Musa administration, Deputy Prime Minister John Briceno, one of the men seen in Godfrey's photo album clinking champagne glasses, said that Godfrey is simply trying to divert blame for a project he masterminded.
Jules Vasquez,
He says that the photographs prove that the government, high level officials, your self included, knew all along what was happening. You all endorsed this project, you all sanctioned this project, you all signed on from the outset.
Hon. Johnny Briceno, Deputy PM
"Well certainly, as I can best recall, that when this whole idea started off we were informed that we were to meet the LG Company, the multinational company, who was prepared to work with the Government of Belize in providing internet services through the schools, because this was an agreement that was basically signed through the Ministry of Education so that whilst we were in Los Angeles, they took advantage of the time that we were there.
We went to San Francisco for a luncheon. We met with, if I could remember, one of them was the vice president from LG and they made this presentation whereby they were going to make the internet service accessible to the schools.
All we were talking about was the internet services and then later on that we were going to then work in providing telephone services for the government of Belize and that the role there, as I can recall, was that they were going to reduce costs by at least 50% to the government of Belize. So who would not support that? After that then it went on to Intelco and certainly at that time no one was talking about Intelco, no one was talking about anything of the different issues that have been taken place since that time to the present."
Jules Vasquez,
But he says, you all in the government were prepared to guarantee that contract because the phone system and the wide area network would be yours as he claims it still is. That so in fact that you all embraced, even that original $15 million contract, the government embraced it knowingly and is now pretending that well these were all secret deals foisted upon the government by an unscrupulous businessman. That is what he is saying.
Hon. Johnny Briceno,
"Again I am repeating myself that at that time we were not aware of those details. What transpired from LG, which is a international company, to now Intelco, a local company, that whereby obviously Glenn Godfrey was the master mind. And then we are talking light years away from one point to the present.
Obviously when some of the details started to surface, when we became first aware that the funds were being used to pay some of these loans that were made, of course there were many people in this country that were upset, members in Cabinet were not happy about it and they took some action to show their displeasure, it is something that they did not support. So for Mr. Godfrey now to come and use a picture to say, because of a picture it means that everybody knew, I think that Mr. Godfrey is trying a way to try to wiggle himself out of this problem that he has created."
Jules Vasquez,
He is saying it is the fault, the blame has to be shared by the Prime Minister, who is your boss, and then Minister of Finance Ralph Fonseca."
Hon. Johnny Briceno,
"I cannot comment on those issues. I think these are some questions that probably the Prime Minister and Minister Fonseca need to answer."
And later on we'll have more from Briceno as he discusses his possible future as party leader of the PUP.
