Moving unto politics, in his New Year's address Leader of the opposition Shyne Barrow, made an unusual move: he basically scolded the government and the police department for not bringing criminal charges against his party's own Belmopan convention candidate. Here's what he said, and how the commissioner responded today:
Shyne Barrow, Leader of the Opposition
"The Commissioner of Police said that he was going to investigate Mr. John Saldivar. This is the second investigation and yet we have not gotten any report back from the Commissioner of Police. But when Mr. Julius Espat wanted Mr. Rene Montero arrested and charge, it happened under speed. So we await the Commissioner of Police and the DPP's decision on the allegations of Mr. John Saldivar where he was heard in a recording admitting to wilful suppression. So the Opposition is doing their part, but the government continues to fail and I am losing confidence in the Commissioner of Police day by day."
Chester Williams, Commissioner of Police
"I heard the address by Hon. Barrow in respect to the Saldivar matter and I have said publicly that we are looking into it. We have recorded a number of statements and he tries to equate that to the Montero incident. With the Montero incident, it was fully local. There no need to get nothing from any external law enforcement agency and so it would be logical for one to accept that the process is going to be longer. As a matter of fact, his own chairman
said that they have wrote to the State Department requesting certain information and they have not received it. So for him to say what he said, I found to be very disingenuous and if it is that he have lost confidence in me, I believe he have lost in his own self confidence, so will say no more."
