Prosecution provides first batch of evidence against Mayor

Today the prosecution in the criminal case against Belize City Mayor, Zenaida Moya Flowers, presented the first set of evidence to the court.  But they still needed more time to gather the remainder and Chief Magistrate Margaret McKenzie allowed them until next Thursday to do so. 

Moya Flowers along with City Hall’s Administrator, Kiran Vanjani and Administrative Assistant Kiran Budhrani face a slew of offenses – twenty-two charges of Uttering a False Document for receipts worth seventy dollars each that allegedly came from the Esso Gas station at mile two on the Northern Highway. But in addition to that, they also face a charge of Failure to Comply with City Regulations.  The charges followed allegations raised by Patrick Tillett, who is the government-assigned Financial Regulator at City Hall. Tillett was the one who blew the whistle on the Mayor, pointing to discrepancies with funds at City Hall. Moya-Flowers and her team have claimed an unorthodox way of doing things, calling the unusual accounting practice “under-depositing”.

The charges were preferred on October 1st, 2009 and the defendants were jointly charged with the Council’s then Finance Director, Dwain Davis.  Davis suffered a massive stroke shortly after leaving the courthouse on November 5th, 2009 for another adjournment date.  He clung to life in a comatose state on a ventilator for eleven days before succumbing.  The case resumes on April 20th when the preliminary inquiry is set to start.

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