But it doesn’t end there; the troubles continue. This afternoon at 3:05, Glen Godfrey’s attorney Elson Kaseke went into the Chief Justice’s chambers requesting an ex-parte injunction which will block government from publishing the report – a report which at that time it had not even received. Kaseke had successfully gotten a similar injunction against the Lord report last time but that was after it had been published.
Almost an hour later Godfrey and Kaseke emerged from the courtroom successful again. Kaseke told us why.
Elson Kaseke, Attorney for Glen Godfrey
“We applied for an order prohibiting the publication of the report of Ms. Merlene Bailey-Martinez as co-chair of the DFC Commission of Inquiry and the court granted the order. And in the process of granting the order, the court stated that it was very unfortunate, but not in so many words, but the commission is moribund, it’s not longer functioning. The court said the proceedings of the commission after the death of the late David Price was attended by mishap after mishap and it is the public of Belize who stand to lose.”
Jules Vasquez,
But Sir so much process, so much work has gone in by Ms. Merlene Bailey-Martinez. Certainly while the judgment may be that the Commission is moribund, the report is a living thing, so much work has gone into it, so much time has been invested.
Elson Kaseke,
“We are concerned with the rule of law here. You might even move mountains but if you are not observing the rule of law, you will agree with me that’s something which is bad, nothing matter how much amount of work is put into it; it is bad.”
Jules Vasquez,
Why are you and Mr. Godfrey so determined to not have these matters publicly ventilated?
Elson Kaseke,
“It is not me you know. I am an attorney. I took an oath to defend the people and I am doing exactly that.”
Jules Vasquez,
But Sir doesn’t it disserve the public interest to not have these facts which were so hard won, to not have them ventilated, aired, publicly published?
Elson Kaseke,
“We are not against the ventilation of these issues. What we are against is the ventilation of the issues in a wrong manner and the court has so pronounced. Thank you.”
In his three page ruling, Chief Justice Conteh says, “the proceedings of the commission have been attended by one misstep after another. The continuation of the commission as a two person commission was in my view, a calamity waiting to happen.” He adds that since the Lord report was submitted, anything done after that would be futile. He calls it a “tragic and sorry end to the work of the commission.”
