And while Budna is struggling to find a Guatemalan attorney - Musa has retained one of Belize's best firms in Courtenay Coye LLP.
Ordinarily in cases when a Minister is named, the Attorney General's office is the one to represent them but Musa explained why he went with a private attorney.
Kareem Musa, Minister of Immigration
"Yes, there are better things that I could be doing right now, but um as an officer of the court, as you know, I am an attorney at law. I know it is my duty to make an appearance when it is that we have a court date."
"I think that that is perhaps one of the beauties of our democracy, that anybody could sue anybody, no matter how absurd or how frivolous, or as you have heard yourself, how fanciful that may be. And it's my duty as the minister, the then Minister of Home Affairs, and being named specifically in this claim for me to appear."
"And so I found it to be my duty to appear here today. So Mr. Matus also works out of the law firm of Courtney Coye and Courtney Coye is my attorney, my law firm in this matter."
Reporter
"And so you brought out the big gun."
Kareem Musa, Minister of Immigration
"Well, the big guns come out when it's a big day."
Reporter
"And you know that the public will probably have some pushback against that or criticism, I'd say."
Kareem Musa, Minister of Immigration
"I don't see how. As you could imagine, this case was brought against me. It's fraught with irregularities. Let's start there in terms of the procedure, because not only does it say the Minister of National Security, I believe, or Home Affairs, but it then names me. And so the claimant is going after me personally and as the Minister. And so they didn't even know in what capacity they are bringing the claim, as you heard Mr. Saldivar on his foot say again today. So that is one of the complications because ordinarily this case would have had the representation of the Attorney General for all parties."
"But because it named me personally, I decided to hire a private law firm to handle this matter."
