PM Explains Police Involvement in Budna Investigation

Prime Minister John Briceño is once again standing behind the decision to leave the Joseph Budna kidnapping case in the hands of the Belize Police Department. He maintains that Belize has no legislation that speaks to independent investigations. Recently, concerns surrounding the legitimacy of statements made by officers questioned during the case circulated online with some speculating that those questioned may have given false statements. We spoke with Prime Minister John Briceño about these inquiries today. Here’s what he had to say.

 

Prime Minister John Briceño

“I don’t get involved in these things. I no know how unu cya understand that I allow for them to do that. Whether her report was given to the DPP or another report was, I don’t know. The point is that the DPP expressed concerns. I’m very disappointed in the way she expressed herself, but that’s okay. We’re live in a democracy.. The point is now that she needs to get out the police to do the proper investigation.”

 

Reporter

“But are you concerned that there seems to be some sort of conspiracy to cover up who kidnapped or the kidnapping?”

 

Prime Minister John Briceño

“I don’t know if police officers- if it was just police officers, but there are a lot of instances when, officers of the public service whenever they are transferred, they cry forward because they don’t want to move. And could be that they just don’t want to move and will say something like that. It could be, could not be, I don’t know. I’ve not spoken to them, but I believe that’s something that probably the commissioner of Police would be in a better position to answer.”