When Alberto August was first charged with a cybercrime on May 30, Panton did not outright defend him in a statement, nor did she even show up in San Ignacio to support him.
But today, she was more conciliatory, saying that the DPP made the right decision to drop the charges:
Tracy Panton, Leader of the Opposition
"When you go after a citizen that does not have those concerns of any kind of impropriety like Mr. Alberto August, I think it reinforced for the Belizean people that the government is acting way outside of its legal authority and cannot be allowed to infringe on the constitutional rights of our citizens"
"You have to follow the systems and processes and institutions that are given a clear mandate. It is not for a minister to determine what a charge may be or if that charge should be. It is for the Office of the DPP. And so the new minister acted as far as I can tell in accordance with what the law provides. And he had no other choice. If he wanted to preserve his own integrity, but to send the file to the DPP"
Reporter
"And so are you all now having somewhat a sigh of relief that, okay, the charges have been withdrawn from Alberto, one win, plus the Miras are being exposed, two wins. Is it somewhat a sigh of relief or is this just the beginning of what you guys hope is going to unfold?"
Tracy Panton
"Sigh of relief? Do you think that's the way the opposition looks at these issues? These are critical issues facing our nation, coupled with the high cost of fuel, the high cost of living, the high cost of utilities, the escalating crime, the blatant corruption in public office, these are not wins. These are areas of serious concern every citizen needs to be engaged in."
