Former UDP area rep Anthony Boots Martinez lodged a recall petition against his PUP successor, Gilroy Usher on January 16th.
On that day, he delivered over 1,700 signatures to the Governor General's office in Belmopan. But, after that? Crickets!
He says he only learned today when the Chief Elections Officer appeared on the LOVE FM morning show that the petitions had been sent to her on office on February 21st.
That's 36 days later - and at a press conference this afternoon, Martinez accused the Governor General as Head of State of breaking the law. Here's how he put it:
Anthony Boots Martinez, Submitted Recall Petition
"It was disclosed this morning on LOVE FM by the chief elections officer that she had just received the petition - the 21st of February."
"That is flouting the law. You - as the Governor General - you assent all laws into play and have little things to do per day and all day to do it. I have some difficulty with that, and I have difficulty in my humble opinion in the Governor General breaking the law. And I find that to be very delinquent, her office to be very delinquent, very disingenuous and totally dishonest."
"Numerous calls was placed to her office - of which I believe, as the person that launched the petition - my channel for answers is the Governor General office. And when your office say to me numerous times, the petition has not, you noh get wah answer yet - you say, no response yet on the petition, when you know that you never send the petition over to the Chief Elections Officer as the law mandate. Because the law say that the Governor General, on receipt of the petition shall forward - shall forward the petition - to the chief elections office forthwith."
"I look pon Mr Google, I go da Siri, I goh all about the place, and everything di tell me "forthwith" mean "at once, immediately, without delay." I don't know where we could find something different."
"Any - you would say - Blind-eye Jamesy would see that that is flouting the law, and that is breaking the law."
Reporter
"Will you take legal action?"
Anthony Boots Martinez
"Well, speaking with the senior attorney this morning, we're looking on legal action."
We did make efforts to get a response from the Governor General's office but at newstime, none was forthcoming.
The Chief Elections Officer has 30 days to verify the signatures.
