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That's where he comfortably propped up his feet and denied, denied, denied:

Reporter
"Minister Martinez, it is alleged that you have 3 pieces of heavy equipment that are the property of the Belize City Council. How do you respond to that?"

Hon. Anthony "Boots" Martinez, Minister of Human Development
"That is not so at all. I don't work at Belize City Council, so I don't have anything in my possession in terms of having equipment."

So, he says he doesn't have, didn't have the equipment. But that's only a very small part of the story. There's a lot of background here - and it goes right back to 2014 when the City Council had to start its own sanitation department. Minister Boots loaned the council free use of the Housing for The Poor compound - which is right where we met him today. He says they were well taken care of, rent-free and with security at that location:..

Hon. Anthony "Boots" Martinez, Minister of Human Development
"So we said we will gift the place to them."

Reporter
"Same compound where we are?"

Hon. Anthony "Boots" Martinez
"Right here. And we said to them we are not responsible for security and what they did they get to purchase some material and we built that booth over there. They had 24 hour security. So I don't see how big pieces of equipment could go missing and nobody can't account for it, in terms of supervisor security whatsoever the case may be."

"I saw many equipment here including the bulldozer, bus, pickup truck. I saw many equipment here."

Reporter
"When they left, did you stay with any of the equipment?"

Hon. Anthony "Boots" Martinez
"Not at all. Why would I stay with it for?"

Reporter
"These equipment have great value."

Hon. Anthony "Boots" Martinez
"Great value for what. It's not belongs to me. Put it this way: why would they leave it here for? And if you move something that is not yours, that is stealing."

Reporter
"Do you know where the equipment is now?"

Hon. Anthony "Boots" Martinez
"Handed over by whom? Put it this way. When the story broke, I started to inquire and the equipment is about a mile and a half road there. Taken there to be repaired as I understand. Maybe you can talk to the person as to where the equipment is and how he got it."

Reporter
"Did you manage to locate the 3 pieces of equipment?"

Hon. Anthony "Boots" Martinez
"I haven't manage to locate anything, sir. I found out where they were. So I didn't manage to locate anything, because I didn't go and see where they were. I heard."

Reporter
"I know you are a resourceful man and you know a lot of people, but it would be hard for I to locate them pieces of equipment. I'm saying that unless I knew where to look."

Hon. Anthony "Boots" Martinez
"Put it this way: It's not only you knew where to look, Belize is a small world. As a matter of fact that the first thing the man said to me who had the equipment is that Joe Lawrence took it there to get repaired. That is what the man said to me."

Reporter
"But Lawrence said in the City Council report, Mr. Lawrence is quoted as saying that "Boots workers came for the equipment"."

Hon. Anthony "Boots" Martinez
"No Boots workers. I didn't see anything in the report like that. I saw something in the report to the effect that some trailer Boots workers came for some trailer to transport a Bobcat. What is happening like I know is that the trailer is what the bulldozer sits on. The man says the trailer is right there with the bulldozer on it."

Reporter
"So your workers have never used these pieces of equipment? Have never been in possession of them?"

Hon. Anthony "Boots" Martinez
"Never. Not at all."

Reporter
"Sir, there is no nice way of putting it. The City Council is suggesting plainly that you work with their equipment."

Hon. Anthony "Boots" Martinez
"Put it this way: they can suggest anything that they want. I am no criminal. I am no woman beater. I am no drug dealer. Listen to me, they could suggest anything they want. The facts speaks for themselves. All of a sudden the blow and maybe it's you who must have brought it back for them."

Reporter
"To make it plain and straight, have you at any time had material possession of a bulldozer with trailer and a Bobcat?"

Hon. Anthony "Boots" Martinez
"Not at all, sir. Not at all."

Martinez notes that the PUP council's audit on the unaccounted for vehicles states that licenses and insurance records for the equipment exists at the city council - which suggests to him that the council did have possession of the vehicles - contrary to what former Mayor Darrell Bradley stated.