Last night, Belize City resident George Betson had to find somewhere
to lay his head, somewhere that was not his home. If the name doesn’t
ring a bell, it’s because Betson first flared unto the news about 7 years
ago, a hard talking man of imposing stature, who’d been run down and given
the run around by the system, namely the Department of Lands. And for a while,
with a favorable court ruling, it seemed like Betson fought the law and was
actually winning....but not anymore. Yesterday evening, the courts came back
at him with the legal equivalent of what fans of wrestling would call a submission
hold. 7NEWS was there to witness the undoing of George Betson.
George Betson, Evicted
“I want the Belize people to understand that da chance they di chance
me. The poor people in this country noh have a prayer. The court system set
up in a way where the poor people doesn’t have a chance. It’s a
shame!”
But despite his protestations, last night work crews were on the top of George
Betson’s house with hammers and crowbars, making fast work of the dismantling
of the wooden structure. Now doing this kind of work at night is no easy feat
– especially when our camera light is the main source of illumination.
But they had no choice, when they came on Saturday to execute the court order,
Betson was not having it.
George Betson,
”They came from Saturday Jules trying to do what they are doing now.
And they said that I have 15 minutes to clear this place. I said it is highly
impossible for you all to want me to do this in 15 minutes and in hours. And
if you all insist that means that anytime one of you all come over the fence
there, I’m gonna have to defend myself.”
And according to the court officers, defending himself meant making it clear
that he had a licensed 38 pistol and a shotgun on the ready. So yesterday they
went back after 5 when Betson wasn’t there with armed police and a court
order to completely clear the property. Betson had to take in what for him was
a grim scene from his tailgate, disconsolate and bitter – while his friends
collected his possessions form the house and roughly packed up in the bedroom
with the night sky peering in.
Jules Vasquez,
But where will you go?
George Betson,
“I have nowhere to go Jules I am out in the street. They were talking
about taking my stuff to the dump. I don’t have nowhere to go. I don’t
have no brother, my father, my mother, they are all deceased - it’s just
me and God in this country here.”
But to understand how George Betson got to this moment of personal desolation,
you’d have to go back many years. We first met him in 2001, at the same
property he lost tonight. There was only one structure then – and the
man disputing ownership Rupert Marin had just taken down the fence that Betson
had put up.
At the time he appeared as a prophet of rage against what he portrayed as well
connected land grabbers – and then as now had had a flair for dramatic
pronouncements.
[2001]
George Betson,
“I feel like someone stick a knife direct through my heart. This is
my life here. This is everything I own hear. They are not only going to take
house, they’re going to have to take me along with the house. This probably
gonna be some kind of blood bath situation because who I will turn to get justice.
Just tell me who will I turn to get justice.”
And Betson did get justice. The Supreme Court’s Justice Awich found in
his favor in October 2007 – but the court of appeals dramatically overturned
that in March of this year. The written judgment issued 11 days ago thoroughly
thrashes Awich;s judgment calling it first, inordinately and shockingly delayed
– it took 16 months to deliver - and referring to an abundance of unnecessary
pleadings on one hand and so called implicit pleadings on the other, forcing
one judge to conclude that quote “from the point of view of procedure
it really was in highest degree, farce.” With that no stay of execution
was granted and the judgment was to be enforced forthwith. That was in April
and yesterday evening enforcement swept in.
Still Betson says the procedural violation wasn’t his side but the other
side.
George Betson,
“And the thing I want to really point out here, they went to the Appeal
Court about six or seven days over the 21 days that the law prescribes and was
still accepted. This could have been done right there if honest people were
in place.”
But the fact is, all this is happening because his case was resoundingly rejected
at the Court of Appeal – but while he’s been outmatched in that
court, Betson says he is not defeated.
George Betson,
“I made an agreement with the landowner of this country, which is
this government, the past government. I didn’t get my agreement from off
the street. I get it from Belmopan. I start to purchase Jules, I leave a down
payment, they give me three years to pay it off totally and two months after
in August, they start with their scurvy move. Very shocking but like you say,
it is not over until the fat lady sings.”
Betson’s attorney Hubert Elrington has been given leave to apply
to the Privy Council, but the Court of Appeals still did not grant a stay of
execution on the judgment. For historical reference we note that Betson has
claimed to have started working on the land as far back as 25 years ago in 1983
when he started to put fill. He has paid towards one lease, but there are two
parcels and neither was fully paid up.
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