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The Belize Times
Sunday, March 28, 2010
Court of Appeal Discontinues Hearing of Landowners Assn.
The fight of the late Sir Barry Bowen and the Landowners Association ended on Friday in the Court of Appeal when the court discontinued the hearing of the case. The late Sir Barry, who crashed his privately owned plane while approaching San Pedro on Friday February, 26th, had challenged the government's original proposed Sixth Amendment Bill in the Supreme Court and Chief Justice, Sir Abdulai Conteh ruled in 2009 that the government’s proposal to amend a section of the constitution would take away landowners’ rights to access the courts if government seizes anyone's land for the purposes of petroleum and mineral extraction. That ruling
rendered the proposed Bill as unconstitutional. The government went back to court when it challenged that ruling in the Court of Appeal, but between the period when the arguments occurred, the Attorney General introduced a proviso in the
House of Representatives which it claimed would address any issue of constitutional conflict and the House went ahead and amended the Bill, then the Senate passed it into law. This amendment made the appeal against the original Bill null. But while the amendment met their needs halfway, Attorney for the late Sir Barry, Eamon Courtenay, has expressed regret that the appeal was discontinued because the amendment only accommodates for government to compensate landowners for royalties if their land is exploited and mass quantities of petroleum are found. But there are other issues Courtenay wanted to explore in the Court of Appeal that were
never dealt with as a result of the ruling. One other issue that was expected to arise out of the arguments was determining how both sides would have arrived at working out the royalties. Courtenay feels that there are remain parts of the Sixth Amendment Bill that are still unconstitutional and that there will be future litigation brought forth by concerned landowners regarding those same issues. The landowners were represented in court by Attorneys Dickie Bradley and Anthony Sylvestre. Courtenay was assisted by Attorney Magali Marin Young, while the government's attorney was Lois Young. The appeal was heard by Justices Elliott Mottley, Boyd Carey and Dennis Morrison.
Angry Belizeans March for Peace
Heavy rains could not stop nearly four hundred resolute mothers and relatives of murdered youths whose hearts have been shattered by the spate of gun warfare in Belize City streets, from marching from the end of Central American Boulevard near Caesar Ridge Road to the Belize City Centre. Their common messages were aimed at the criminal and the
politician alike: stop the crime and violence and restore peace and justice to a city gone mad. Chanting to words, songs and poems from famous legendary artists, and bearing signs with distinct messages to the criminals and politicians, the mourners and supporters headed for their final destination at the City Centre where some of them spoke of their loss
BY ORDER OF THE MORTGAGEE NOTICE OF INTENTION TO SELL HOLY REDEEMER CREDIT UNION LIMITED a statutory body formed and registered under the Credit Union Act, Chapter 314 of the Laws of Belize, Revised Edition 2000, and whose registered office is situated at No. 1 Hyde’s Lane, Belize City, Belize District hereby gives notice of its intention to exercise its power of sale as Mortgagee under and by virtue of a Deed Creating Charge by way of Legal Mortgage registered at the Land Titles Register between those hereinafter named and the said Holy Redeemer Credit Union Limited. HRCU will at the expiration of two months from the date of the first publication of this notice sell the property described in the Schedule below. ALL offers to purchase the said property must be made in writing to HOLY REDEEMER CREDIT UNION LIMITED from whom full particulars and conditions of sale may be obtained.
SCHEDULE ALL THAT piece or parcel of land being Lot No. 114 situate near Mile 8 ½ on the Western Highway, Belize District containing 772.22 square metres and being more particularly delineated and described as shown on Grant No. 157 of 1990 lodged at the Office of the Commissioner of Lands and Surveys TOGETHER with all buildings and erections standing and being thereon, the freehold property of Anthony Noralez.
and others prayed for peace. Many will remember the late Therese Felix, who in 2007 staged a similar march for peace along with activist Erwin X after three of her sons were targets of trigger-happy criminals. But on Sunday it was business woman, Yolanda Schakron, whose nephew, Christopher Galvez was murdered on December 22, 2009. The new group calls itself the Association of Belizeans for Justice and while it is still developing its agenda, it has already outlined means for counselling sessions for grieving families and for an attorney who will advise it on ways to work with the government and the relevant agencies aimed at addressing primarily street crime. The mood was both celebratory and sad - celebratory for the new movement and sad as some mothers visibly reminisced about sons who once filled their hearts. Some of them said while they wanted the crime to stop at
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once, other reflected on the state of affairs in Belize and said their hopes of a safer Belize cannot come overnight. But almost all the marchers were resolute in one thing, that stop it must! There were several politicians present, including the Leader of the Opposition John Briceno, who has for many months been appealing to government to address the problem by increasing the employment rate and creating more social avenues for young people to recreate. The rains also did not deter Honourable Briceno from marching and from being a part of the positive event. The Minister of National Security, who has for the past months come under heavy criticism for not doing anything significant to address the rampant crime, was also present. His government has also come under searing public scrutiny for not reversing the problems affecting vulnerable youths. Association members say while they will fight for peace and justice, they keep the pressure on so that one day Belize can return to the once peaceful haven most of us grew up to and knew and loved.