And while the dispute about the explosive materials is one thing - there's also contention about the BDF's land versus Penner's land.
The BDF is saying that Penner owns property within their training area, while Penner says that their training area is within his property!
Here's both sides of that disagreement:
Francis Usher, CEO National Defence & Border Security
"So interestingly enough, he owns some property inside our training area. Property that I believe based on the LUA numbers and based on the research we've unearthed from the Ministry of Natural Resources that he perhaps got the lease in the 2011-2012 time frame. And in September of 2020, during COVID time and just before the general election when the parties changed over, he rushed. I would only assume he rushed given the time frame that had elapsed in between to have them surveyed and then to get the titles for them. Who he managed to convince to give him land in a designated traininng area and who made that decision to to sell a portion of the BDF trading area is beyond me, but I can confirm that it happened between 2010 to 2020. Okay, and would you guys know about the quantity of land that he owns within the BDF training area?
So I know that there were seven pieces of or seven parcels that a lease was given in 2011 and 2012 in that time frame in his name. And that's in the southern portion of the training area. And I also know that there were seven pieces on the same in the same time frame with almost an identical reference number that was issued in lease form to a Lena Penner. And that is just to the southwest, just outside the training area, but almost touching it. And in 2020, the same surveyor conducted the survey and got both their lands. Now all seven that were initially issued to Mr. Penner were not, the titles were not put in his name, but some of them were, I think it was three or four of them. "
Reporter
"All right, Mr. Penner, there's a suggestion that you acquired these lands corruptly while you were in government. What's your response to that?"
Elvin Penner, Landowner
"You see, that is another thing that I hope will come to light here again for the 5th, 6th, 7th, 10th, I don't know how much 10th. Some people, they have brainwashed themselves to believe some things, certain things. And if you brainwash yourself to believe certain things, no matter how much time I'll explain what really happened, individual will never try to, they will never want to take their head out of you know where and understand the situation because there is no situation, none. Only one piece of land I acquired as Elvin Penner while I was in politics for 8 years and that was 30 some acres of land up there deemed useless by the people of Belize at the time. Nobody wanted to be there. Barren, worthless land. Everything else we purchased privately. Properties that were owned by private individuals for decades before BATSUB even started training there. Some of those properties are within the BDF training area. The BDF training area is encroaching on these properties. It's not a designated, how can you have a designated BDF training area? It is like, I don't know what you call this, grandfathered entitled thing. It has always been thought of as a BDF and BATSUB training grounds, but it never officially was. It was just people didn't use their land, so why not use it for training?"
