BELMOPAN, Belize (CMC) –Leader of Belize’s main Opposition United Democratic Party (UDP), Moses “Shyne” Barrow has welcomed a ruling by the High Court that gives him control of the party’s headquarters.
Last week, Barrow and several others filing an ex-parte application asking the High Court to immediately grant custody and possession of the party’s headquarters to the former chairman, Mike Peyrefitte.
“We are thrilled, extremely grateful for the decision of the High Court to grant this injunctive relief. We are grateful to the lawyer, of course…and we just feel vindicated,” Barrow said.
“We are extremely satisfied that Belize is a place of rules and laws that must be complied with, no matter how right you think you are. There are procedural norms that must be complied with and we were very confident that the High Court would comply with the case law, all the way to the Court of Appeals, as to how you treat with matters. You can’t just come and be a political gangster and use violence and use might to have your way,” he added.
Barrow is in a battle for the leadership of the party with Tracy Taegar-Panton, who heads a dissent group within the party claiming they are the legitimate leader of the party.
Barrow and his team are seeking various forms of relief, which the High Court will address at a later date.
Speaking with 5 Great Belize Television, Barrow said that the judge’s order “were that things would return to the status quo and that the property returns to the Central Executive of the United Democratic Party.
“In essence, acknowledging the claimants who came on behalf of the UDP,” he said, adding the building is essential.
“That is our headquarters that is where we operate. That is where we have our party organs. So I appreciate the spirit of comments that may have been made by the party chairman. Unlike the alliance, who marshalled a hundred people with force and aggression to take something that they said was inconsequential. We abided by the rule of law.”
Regarding the leadership of the party, Barrow wants the High Court to declare who is the person to lead the party.
Barrow is also seeking a ruling that Taegar-Panton has no legal or trust-based authority to possess the UDP. He also wants declarations stating that Taegar-Panton cannot remove the claimants from the headquarters and that she unlawfully took control of the Guardian Newspaper and Wave Radio, which are organs of the UDP.
The Court has set January 2025 for a case management session, and Barrow said he is also aware of the possibility of an election being called next year.
He insists that the dissidents’ members are not “members of the party.
“These are people that have acted in complete circumvention of the United Democratic Party’s constitution and I believe that what happened in the High Court, the decision that was made by Justice Hondura really underpins the mindset and the behaviour of these people that they act outside of constitution”.
Earlier this year, Barrow had written to the Speaker of the Parliament indicating that Taegar-Panton and at least two other legislators were no longer members of the party.
But she has has since said she was elected leader at a special convention.
Last month, Police Commissioner Chester Williams said the police have no legal authority to determine who is to occupy the headquarters had urged the factions involved to settle the matter in a court of law.
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