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And to add to that insult to that injury, Smith was on the front of today's Guardian, his picture under the screaming headline "TRAITOR." When we spoke to him an hour ago, he said the name calling doesn't bother him one bit - his concern is for the Prime Minister's actions:

Godfrey Smith
"He stood pretending he had a lot of balls, nationalized Telemedia, took hundreds of million dollars worth of shares from clients that I represent, announced that as God was his witness he would not pay a single cent in relation to arbitration. $90 Million were against his government, has refused to pay clients I represent and then he bawls when a little letter goes out in relation to my client's interest. Disgraceful behavior and absolutely ludicrous."

Jules Vasquez
"You will agree though that the events that you detail in your letter are events that you participated in that you help to foment as part of the Musa administration."

Godfrey Smith
"Wrong. There is a difference between being a part of a government who breached contracts - I was part of that - there is a difference between that and participating. But I am not trying to distance myself; I never have. Yes I was part of a government, I detail it in the very letter hence the letter is credible. It is totally irrelevant to the question at hand; what does it matter which government did it? the fact of the matter is it was bad under any government and is bad now and is bad for Belize."

Jules Vasquez
"Do you have moral authority to invoke it?"

Godfrey Smith
"Hello! That is why I am saying this wasn't a letter I wrote and broadcast to the world. I wrote it to Digicel within the parameters of my duty as a lawyer [Jules Vasquez - it was posted on the internet ] to my client. But still, focus on what the issue is; the allegation is oh you were unpatriotic in pointing out the fact that Belize has a bad track record in terms of the sanctity of international business contracts. The first question should be is that true or am I making up lies? it is all factual what I said. GOB/Prime Minister is wronging and stronging clients I represent, they owe tens of millions, they refuse to pay, they will not pay and when we take steps to defend ourselves legally and ethically, it's a big problem, the man is crying. I am surprised and actually disgusted."

Jules Vasquez
"Isn't this a blue concas approach? if there are all these caveats surrounding BTL, why then is the trust you represent so eager to buy majority shares in it."

Godfrey Smith
"Well that's a separate. That's an entirely separate matter from entirely separate time. There is no contradiction here. Understand this is a war started by the Prime Minister when he nationalize Telemedia, it is a war that has various dimensions in Belize and abroad spanning from the United Kingdom [ Jules Vasquez - you are avoiding the question Godfrey. ] I am not avoiding the question, I am telling you that it is fought on many different angles and we are leveraging and strategizing and setting up ourselves to ensure that at the end of the day [ Jules Vasquez - and using the employees as leverage ] so you switch to the employees now, you better go and talk to the employees and get their views [ Jules Vasquez - I am talking to the trustee ] no I am not a trustee."

Jules Vasquez
"You represent the trustee, you speak for them."

Godfrey Smith
"I am a lawyer on behalf of the trust and that is all."

In today's Guardian, the Prime Minister is quoted as saying, quote: "I deplore it. I think it is outrageous that any Belizean would do something like that. It's a betrayal of the national interest that cannot be justified for any political reason. It's just that this man is being paid for by Ashcroft and would do anything to suit his master's bidding."

This morning Smith's so called Traitorous behavior was also the subject of discussion on WAVE Radio's Fus Thing Da Mawnin. No less than the prime minister called in to say that Smith had acted unpatriotically and he also called put his colleague Eamon Courtenay in the same category, saying they had acted similarly. PM Barrow disclosed that Courtenay went to Washington with Lord Peter Goldsmith to make presentations before the IMF about the souring of the investment climate in Belize - what the PM called badmouthing Belize.

This afternoon, Courtenay had this to say to Mr. Barrow in response.

Eamon Courtenay
"What I would say to Mr. Barrow first of all is that he is in absolutely no position to be making such accusations. As I stand here today I know for a fact that the law firm of Barrow and Williams, which he is a party to, remains on the payroll of the Belize Bank, the largest company of Lord Ashcroft. So he is in absolutely the same position. In fact because his law firm continues to work for Mr. Ashcroft. But unlike him, I don't go around the place making accusations and declaring war against people. One day declare war on Mr. Ashcroft and the next day take Mr. Ashcroft's cheque so I say to him, no watch me, watch you self."

"It is regrettable that Mr. Barrow believes in name calling and scandal making and behaving like a vulgarian instead of trying to engage people when there is a legitimate difference. He refuses to speak to the Bar, refuses to speak to Mr. Ashcroft, refuses to speak to the other utility companies. And when you want to know why people come into your office and say I want to pull out my investment or I'm not going to invest, it is not because I am representing them, it is because of the attitude of this Government. "

And while we suspect that is not the last of this particular back and forth - Smith and Courtenay featured in some five star legal action in the Supreme Court today - Janelle Chanona will have that in our next segment…