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Melonie Coye – one of the former principals of Moneygram – was back in court today, accused of money laundering. Viewers will recall that in January Coye had been charged for money laundering after police raided their family home and found 1.5 million dollars in cash stuffed in suitcases. And while she’s already been charged for he personal involvement, today she was back in court as a Director of Money Exchange International – the company that operated the Moneygram agency. That company is also being charged for laundering $1.5 million.

Coye and her attorney Arthur Saldivar were supposed to appear in court this morning. First, they appeared at the police station and then they went to court with a police escort. But by then it was already noon and Coye and Saldivar went back to the police to inform them that they would re-appear in the afternoon. That’s when they claim a police officer tried to forcibly detain her. It left Melonie Coye considerably shaken up.

Melonie Coye, Charged for Money Laundering
“Once we were in front of the police station she said you have to get out of the vehicle and the lawyer goes like why does she need to come out of the vehicle, where is she going and they are like she needs to be jailed, to be put into the cell in the back and locked up. And he is like no, she does not need to be locked up, it is not her that is being charged but the company and she is just a director representing the company. At that point I said no I am not going anywhere.

At that point, Sgt. Reyes and a police officer was telling me to get out of his truck, Mr. Saldivar’s vehicle and he is like she does not need to leave, she does not need to be there, the law is that you need understand that it is not this person but the entity, a company that is being charged, not herself. If it is a technical difficulty okay, we’ll fill out papers and go to court and all of that. But why does she need to be charged again, I’ve already been through this when I was there. They tried to sexually harass me with recorders in there. I was sick at that time and also I didn’t shower for three days. I’ve been through inhumane acts by the police officers in the Belize City Police Station.

Ask my husband, he wasn’t fed for three days but for three days he wasn’t fed; no water, no food, they constantly harassed him, kept him out during the night time, and they have been holding his passport for such a long time as well.”

Jules Vasquez,
“So when they tried to arrest you today, did all these things sort of flashed through your head and the fear of being detained again?”

Melonie Coye,
“Exactly because now I fear for my life.”

Jules Vasquez,
“Fear from whom?”

Melonie Coye,
“I think it is a plot. I know this is a plot. This is a plot, a personal vendetta against us and our family. I don’t know. I think it is someone high up in the government it could be or someone very small that is tied to the whole case and scenario.

Not because I live abroad for a long time means I am a money launderer. We don’t even have accounts outside, we don’t have no money. At this point we haven’t had help from the court in the sense that we need money, we need some of our personal money to live off and they have not given us even a dollar out of our savings to live from so we are really struggling.

For them to try and physically take me out of Mr. Saldivar’s vehicle today to lock me up, that shows you biasness, that shows you vendetta, that shows you angry people, angry at us, really angry, even to break the law with the lawyer right there and we are sitting down in the vehicle. That tells a lot in this case.”

Arthur Saldivar, Attorney
“I believe that as it relates to the way the investigation has been conducted and the treatment given, that the constitutional protections and the presumption of innocence in this matter has been overlooked by the investigating person.”

Coye also complained that the court has now restricted travel by she and her husband. Coye appeared in court this afternoon and was released on her present bail. The Coye’s are to return to court on September 24TH. For a preliminary inquiry when it will be determined whether there is enough evidence to send the case to the Supreme Court.