Tour operator Yohnny Rosado has been all over the news recently - and it's not for his Butts Up Cave Tubing venture - but because government confiscated what they say is a stolen vehicle from him.
Rosado complained bitterly - since he had bought the vehicle legitimately in Belize for 65 grand.
But, when the commissioner said last week that the vehicle was part of a stolen car ring, and he won't get it back - Rosado took it personally.
He today held another press conference to say that he's the victim who's taking the licks - but the other players who are complicit or directly responsible are getting off Scott free. That triggered a tirade against the PUP which he once financially supported. Here's how it all went down today:
Yohnny Rosado, Businessman
"I'm the victim here you know? I'm the person without the money, I am the persons... all I am left with are the evidence that this vehicle is mine, because the government of Belize allow it to be brought in here."
In his second press conference in as many weeks, Yohnny Rosado said he was clearing his name:
Yohnny Rosado, Businessman
"So, I'm here this morning to clear my name that I have nothing to do with stolen vehicles or with a ring of stolen vehicles, like our Supercop Chester Williams have been putting out there on the media and I do depend on a clean name to do a clean business in tourism and for me to be in business I need to have my name clear out of this mess."
He's mad because he feels this interview by the Commissioner of Police paints him as somehow complicit in the importation of the Volkswagen Atlas - which police confiscated from him weeks ago:
Yohnny Rosado, Businessman
"I have nothing to do with purchasing vehicle from America, form Mr. Roberto Villanueva nor from Mr Leal. I don't know Mr. Leal and after this I wish I never see him again, because its a minister that got me in this mess. If he never signed the entering of this vehicle, probably this vehicle would have been taken away at the border."
"You can have your vehicle with this legitimate paper that says certificate of registration owner Yohnny Rosado and the police can come and take it away from you and be on the media on television stating thats its going to be confiscated for the state."
"How would you as the commissioner of police be disrespecting a certificate that is a government approved?"
As we've shown you - that stolen vehicle was processed through customs with the expressed interest of PUP's Belize Rural North Rep Marconi Leal - who said he was only helping out a friend, importer, Roberto Skinny Villanueva:
Yohnny Rosado, Businessman
"This is the minister Leal, the is the minister of the PUP that have me in a lot of trouble. This is a nightmare for me. I wish for Chester Williams to apologize to me. I wish for the traffic department to apologize to us, me and my family. I wish for the customs department to do a better job. I wish for everything to retract back as they always want, but I'm pretty sure that none of this will happen."
"I don't know what happened, I don't know what I have done to the PUP, but this is purely vindictive by the politicians. I have a paper that says STOP ORDER to my business."
And if you detect a strong note of political entitlement, it's because Rosado paid for it:
Yohnny Rosado, Businessman
"And I was part of my finance of my business to help put this government, the PUP in power. I have proof of what I'm saying, you know, I put my finance where my mouth is and for they to do this sort of dirty business having stolen vehicle coming in, selling to one of your own half PUP supporters and then taking it away and telling me that it seize, you know?"
Godfrey Lovell, Rosado employee
"I have been witness for the past 5 years hanging around with this ungrateful no-good PUP and Yohnny has helped them countlessly, tirelessly, they have always come for finance, transportation assistance, vehicle."
Jules Vasquez
"How much did you spend to assist the PUP in the last election?"
Yohnny Rosado, Businessman
"Jules, first of all your question is very compromising, but I'm not afraid and I am very clear I give them a bag of $50,000 cash and whose busses were burnt down at the port of Belize? each one of my bus value at $40,000. Thank God I wasn't arrested. I did help the PUP financially, I did help them with transportation, I didn't help burning my busses, I didn't help with Geovannie Brackett burning tyres, I did help as a citizens as opposition to make sure the other government who was in power to do the right thing."
And now, he says he will have to take a political pivot:
Yohnny Rosado, Businessman
"Because if you upset with Leal, if you upset with Kareem Musa, if you upset with Chester, the only way you can get rid of them is by joining the opposition. I'm not here going for the UDP you know. I'm going to support the UDP to make sure they do a better job."
Marconi Leal has said he, quote "Had no interest in that vehicle, (and) just asked customs to assist a friend with a little discount on the duty. That's it." End quote.
