VZCZCXYZ0004
PP RUEHWEB

DE RUEHBE #0282 0862049
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 272049Z MAR 06
FM AMEMBASSY BELIZE
TO SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 9853

UNCLAS BELIZE 000282 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT FOR WHA/CEN - JASON MACK 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV PREL PINR SOCI EFIN BH
SUBJECT: BELIZE: ALLEGATIONS MADE AGAINST FORMER BELIZE CITY 
MAYOR 
 
REF:  BELIZE 211 
 
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SUMMARY AND ANALYSIS 
-------------------- 
 
¶1.  (U) The recently replaced mayor of Belize City faces 
allegations of financial improprieties during his final days 
in office.  Separately, the new mayor of Orange Walk Town 
has announced a financial audit to clean house.  The 
allegations of corruption come as no surprise in the wake of 
recent municipal elections in which Zenaida Moya and other 
United Democratic Party (UDP) candidates were swept to power 
by an electorate weary of the series of financial scandals 
which have dogged the ruling People's United Party (PUP) in 
recent years at both the national and local levels (REFTEL). 
Prime Minister Said Musa must call national elections no 
later than 2008; whether his PUP government can rebuild the 
electorate's confidence by then is an open question.  End 
Summary and Analysis. 
 
¶2. (SBU)  Former Belize City Mayor William David Fonseca, 
the younger brother of GOB Minister of Home Affairs Ralph 
Fonseca, reportedly has bounced 12 checks worth 
approximately BZ$30,000 to the Belize City Council between 
October 2005 and February 2006.  Fonseca returned nearly 
BZ$30,000 to the city on Friday March 17.  Additionally, 
local media have reported that Fonseca received an estimated 
BZ$237,000 in "salary advances and personal loans" and 
BZ$155,000 from "what was listed as a social assistance 
program." 
 
¶3. (SBU) Recently elected Mayor Zenaida Moya filed a 
complaint with police on Monday, March 20.  Local print 
media noted that "Moya said that the [City] Council's legal 
counsel advised them to file a report directly to police, 
rather than submitting it to the DPP's office."  Bouncing 
checks is a criminal offense in Belize; however, sources 
have indicated to the Embassy that police may drop charges 
against Fonseca because of a "lack of evidence."  If the 
charges are dropped, Embassy sources report that Moya and 
her council may file a civil suit. 
¶4. (SBU) Post ConOff has contacted INL/C/CP concerning the 
possible revocation of Fonseca's visa and/or beginning the 
212(f) process based on the following March 14 interview 
between David Fonseca and Channel Seven News in Belize: 
Interviewer: "Mayor Moya has said that it is a criminal act, 
in her opinion, particularly the cashing of a bounced check, 
the day before elections when they [sic] had been nine other 
bounced checks before. What's your response to that?" 
Fonseca: "Probably it is, probably it is a criminal act 
yeah." 
Interviewer: "And you are responsible for that?" 
Fonseca: "Yeah it's me." 
Interviewer: "So you are guilty of a criminal charge?" 
Fonseca: "I am not saying so, I said probably." 
Interviewer: "Well either you are or you aren't." 
Fonseca: "Well like I said because the funds were used for a 
particular purpose, not for me, I don't consider anything 
that I have done criminal. My only crime that I have 
committed, as far as I am concerned, is trying to help too 
many people. That is the only crime that I've committed, 
trying to help too many people." 
 
¶5.  (U) Separately, according to a March 21 newscast on 
Belize's Channel Five, new UDP Mayor in Orange Walk Town 
Ravel Gonzalez stated "I informed the public that we're 
doing a financial auditing. And what we have found so far is 
that the council had decided to pay themselves thirty 
percent severance pay . . . the amounts that they were paid 
and it has amounted so far to approximately seventy thousand 
dollars that were paid out to the Mayor, the previous mayor 
and councillors and now we are finding legal help. And if it 
does end up being illegal, which we believe it is, then we 
definitely will take this to court."  According to the 
Channel Five newscast, Mayor Gonzalez "has yet to officially 
inform the former Mayor and councillors of their 
investigation and projected course of legal action." 
 
DIETER