And while the Krooman Crisis will continue to occupy government into next week – we imagine that Gaspar Vega and John Briceno will continue to be at each other’s throats for years. As we’ve told you, these men are rivals in the north: Vega is the UDP’s Deputy Prime Minister, Briceno did that job for the PUP; Vega is the UDP’s Minister of Natural Resources and the Environment; Briceno did the same for the PUP; Vega owns Orange Walk Channel 10, Briceno owns Channel 3; Vega called Briceno’s Dad a convicted drug dealer, Briceno called Vega’s brother a contrabandist. So, it’s not just politics, this is personal, and today that animosity resurfaced when each accused the other of selling out national reserves.
Hon. Johnny Briceno,
“We have right now in our hands three surveys of land that have been already approved, three parcels of 100 acres each totalling over 300 acres of land with water frontage in the Mountain Pine Ridge area given to a Arosdellia Gang and the reference number is CY103-2009, Teresita Asagura CY102-2009, Denelia Castellanos CY101-2009 and we’ve also been alerted because the people in San Antonio are in the area and they are seeing the surveys that are taking place in that area that another plots are in the works that they are surveying each for 100 acres each totalling over 1,000 acres of land that is being given out in the Mountain Pine Ridge Area.”
Hon. Gaspar Vega, Minister of Natural Resources
“At Long Caye he gave some Bella Vista Investment Company 119.88 acres of land. I am not going to say the price but this is a reserve. Warren and Yvonne Coye, Rope Walk Caye 50 acres; Sharon Gallejo, 41.5 acres at reserves; Eustace Ireland, 14.8 acres Middle Long Caye, all reserves. Mr. Speaker he better stop grin. Alfredo Aldana 297 acres at Graca Caye and dah you sign it, 2003. I don’t think the public servant just pushed it in front of you.”
Vega continued to read from that list of reserve areas sold by Briceno for another 13 minutes. We’ve seen the list and it’s a stunner, detailing 342 land transactions conducted within national reserves between 1998 and 2007.
