Former Lion Club Member Pleads Guilty to Embezzling

    (From Love FM News, Belize City) The court case between expelled Lion Member, Kainie Manuel of San Pedro Town and the Zone 59 Lions Organization of Belize came to an end on Friday October 8th at the San Pedro Magistrate Court.

    Manuel pleaded guilty to the charge of forgery after she was accused of exhausting the Zone’s bank account earlier this year. After failing to appear in court on Thursday, October 7, Magistrate Patricia Arana issued a bench warrant for Manuel’s arrest. Ms. Manuel was subsequently detained that same evening and escorted to court by the police on Friday morning where she pleaded guilty.

    Zone 59 Chairman Baldemar Graniel gave Manuel three options of repayments. The first option was that the money be paid in full, the second option was for the total to be divided into equal five monthly payments which is equivalent to the length of time that she took the money and the third option was for it to be divided into the months left for the Zone Chairman to complete his term in office.

    Manuel told Magistrate Arana that she is not working but offered to pay the sum of $500.00 on the fifth of every month until the full amount of $10,000.00 is repaid back to the Zone’s Atlantic Bank Account. Graniel agreed to the terms of repayment on the advice of the Magistrate.

    The forgery case was a civil suit but there is still a pending criminal charge of robbery for the same offense. In regards to the case of robbery, Graniel explained to Arana that he would not withdraw the charges but instead put it on hold until the Zone collects all the money embezzled by Manuel via the civil suit. He said that in the event that Manuel fails to honor the court’s decisions, he would then proceed with the robbery case against her.

    The magistrate informed Manuel that because the criminal case was not drop and it was a separate hearing from the civil suit, she (Manuel) will still have to present herself in court at every occasion that the case is called for court date and on every adjournment thereafter. Hence Manuel is to reappear in court to continue with her robbery charges on November 6.

Letters to the Editor

Too Much Court Cased Being Dismissed

Dear Editor,

    I see a lot of court cases being dismissed due to the “nolle prosequi” rule. Therefore, I think our government is not doing enough to assist witnesses in Belize. As mentioned on the news and in the newspapers about a month ago, two witnesses were killed just before their court herring. 

    Hence, that’s the reason why witnesses are afraid to testify at trials for fear of getting threats or even been killed. Moreover, people are becoming more hesitant about revealing anything concerning a murder, Bottom-line.  In view of these disturbing occurrences, I would like to submit the following suggestions to our government:

* Government should levy heavier penalties for criminals who threaten or kill witnesses.

* Start witness protection programs, or reinforce the process if it already existed.

* Government should caution media on how they deliver news about crimes and witnesses.

* When witnesses give statements they cannot rescind it.

    It is crucial that our government intervene promptly in order to avoid the escalation of this criminal trend.  Let’s not forget that our country is geographically small and getting to someone is a matter of a couple hours or minutes.

Thanks

DW UB student

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"No Cruise Ships to Placencia"

Dear Editor,
    My husband and I spent a month in beautiful Belize and more specifically, several days in Placencia (southern Belize) last summer and were blown away by the beauty of the area and the innocence of the village. I still marvel at the gorgeous pictures, the baker selling goods out of his wheelbarrow, the "World's Narrowest Street" (a sidewalk), the beautiful beach and reef surrounding this area. Close to Placencia is Monkey River, a small village accessible by boat, which is growing more near and dear to me. We even saw a manatee there! These are wonderful memories I have of the area. I am 100% certain that IF we were to return to Belize, which is our plan, we will not experience the same joy if a cruise ship port is built. That said, IF a cruise ship port is built here, we will certainly NOT RETURN!
    These experiences my husband and I had will not be there forever and will certainly disappear quicker with the hoards that a cruise ship port will bring to the area. Some larger cities can handle a cruise ship port, but Placencia will not be able to do so. So much will be lost and many of the people of the area do not want it there. I can only imagine what a different place it will be in only five years should a cruise ship port be opened in this sleepy village. The village will be raped of its charm and the people who make it a true Belizean destination will not be who they are today.

    The tourists brought in on cruise ships do not generally care about the area they are visiting. They are ignorant to the area and people and uninformed. They are there for a day, or hours, and just to see what they can see. The areas they will visit, outside of Placencia Village, are not going to be able to survive the impact of having thousands of people traipse through for a quick glimpse. Monkey River will crash, the jungle will be no more and the people will shy away, instead of greeting us with a smile. No regard for what they take or leave behind, the cruise ship passengers will kill Placencia. My husband and I took away friendships, photos, memories and left nothing more than a footprint in the sand.

    My vacation there is history...don't let the village of Placencia become a place in history, all for the lure of money. Again, if cruise ships come to Placencia, we will NOT! I will do my best to spread the word and the people who I know might visit the area, will avoid the cruise ship destinations for the reason of culture being lost and destroyed - at the hands of the Cruise Lines. Sad, but true.
/s/ Lori Kawalauskas