And into this hot, steaming mess enters the PUP to play some world cup level political football. The party had a press conference at its Independence Hall headquarters today to demand that the Prime Minister take decisive action, beyond just telling the police to investigate. Opposition Leader John Briceno says it is an act of misfeasance and government should investigate it as such:
Hon. John Briceno - Leader of the Opposition
"I condemn yet again the corruption in the government of the United Democratic Party under the leadership of the Rt. Hon. Dean Barrow, we Belizeans have witness an obvious act of misfeasance in public office which occurred at the lands ministry. The fact that the prime minister removed Gaspar Vega from the Ministry of Natural Resources is not enough. The fact that Vega was allowed to resign from cabinet is still not enough. I'm aware of the statement coming out of the prime minister's office but this action comes way too late and does not go far enough. We in the PUP demand that the prime minister take the following immediate actions. 1. Ensure that the commissioner of police instructs the criminal investigation branch of the police department to open an investigation into the fraudulent scams by the Vega family. 2. As the current minister of lands we demand that the prime minister immediately cancel all land titles issued since 2008 by the government of Belize to members of the Vega family. 3. Establish a commission of inquiry into the hot bed of corruption in the ministry of lands for the period 2008 to 2015. 4. We demand that the prime minister instruct the attorney general to initiate a claim for misfeasance in public office against Gaspar Vega and ensure the recovery of all the ill-gotten gains by his family and associates. We are challenging the prime minister to act, for too long he had acted like a lawyer, a defense lawyer that is what he has been doing all along. Well, I am telling the prime minister you are the prime minister of this country, you have a legal and moral responsibility to the people of this country.
