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The trial of Lev Dermen continued in Salt Lake City Utah today - but, nothing of consequence happened, as jury selection continued.  

It continues again tomorrow, followed in the afternoon by opening arguments.  Then on Thursday, the court will hear testimony from Federal Agents.  There's no court in Utah on Friday, so current projections are that Jacob Kingston - a key witness who turned on Dermen - will not take the stand until next week.  

Kingston is the one who exchanged text messages with National Security Minister John Saldivar on behalf of Dermen.  And, everyone in Belize wants to know what was in those text messages - which we're hoping will come out in evidence.  We're also keeping a close eye out for court documents which show that Kingston wired money to a high ranking official in Belize.

And while there's all this anticipation to see the evidence, and what will happen in Belize as a result of it, one PUP politician says, we don't have to wait in suspended animation; the Government of Belize can directly request the evidence.  

The PUP's area rep for Caribbean Shores, Kareem Musa today wrote to the Prime Minister and the Attorney General urging them to invoke an agreement signed years ago with the US, but which has never been used by Belize.  It's called the Mutual Legal Assistance In Criminal Matters Act and it allows the Government of Belize to request documents, records and articles of evidence from the United States.  Speaking from his law office, he explained his reasoning to the press today:

Kareem Musa - PUP Area Rep
"The Prime Minister sent out a press release in which he said that we cannot access that information. I went to the Chargé de'Affairs at the US Embassy and we cannot access that information. That, as you know now Jules, is a blatant lie. Because under this act, the Attorney General is allowed to contact the Central Authority in the United States, that being the Attorney General of the United States, to request the documents, the official records that are in this case and it does not matter that the case is ongoing or is about to start. This document and these documents can be released even at this very early stage of the trial in the United States. I believe the Prime Minister has a duty to this nation. Worry about your legacy afterwards, worry about your party afterwards but your duty right now is to this nation and you and your attorney general have a clear duty because both of them have given interviews on this topic saying they cannot access nothing. Both of them have a duty to this nation right now."

And, Musa says it is a duty - not only because the future of ranking UDP politicians is involved, but because - by his reasoning - there are criminal offenses involved, namely, money laundering:

Kareem Musa
"We are talking here now about a criminal offence that has taken place in the United States, the defrauding of some $500 million dollars from no less than the IRS, believe it or not. Some of that money, it is alleged, has found its way to Belize. That in itself constitutes money laundering. So, we have to look at it from a different angle, Jules. And that is from the perspective that this tainted money that was obtained illegally in the United States was spent and shared with personalities in Belize. The question now for the Belizean authorities should be who received those monies? Because then it looks at the crime under our laws of money laundering. What we are looking at here in Belize is whether any offence was committed on Belizean soil. Whether there was receipt of proceeds of crime."

Jules Vasquez
"You are making a case that it is the proceeds from money laundering."

Kareem Musa
"I am not making a case. I am saying that there is evidence out there that we need to investigate. So, we are not even at the stage of making a case. We are saying that there are strands of evidence out there that concern Belize, that concern Ministers in Government. And for us to ignore that, that is a gross dereliction of not just the Prime Minister but the Attorney General who has a duty under this act because they are trying to wash there hands of the obligation to say that we have no way of getting this evidence, let's close this chapter and let's just wait for a year or two from now when the Lev Dermen debacle is over. Or let's wait until after elections is what they really want to say. But they are trying to wash their hands. And we are saying that you cannot wash your hands. You have a duty."

Reporter
"Sir, do you believe that there would be no threat on the part of any government official at this point to do what you are asking them to do. I am asking, if they don't do what you are asking, what happens next?"

Kareem Musa
"Oh, the end of my letter says very clearly, we are going to take legal action in the form of a mandamus in the Supreme Court of Belize because we find that this is a gross dereliction of their duty and that we will go to a Supreme Court and compel them to act."

Jules Vasquez
"If you do this it will take six months to a year for the..."

Kareem Musa
"For them to respond with the evidence?"

Jules Vasquez
"I'm just saying, it's a bureaucracy."

Kareem Musa
"Okay, so you are making the point that this should have been done yesterday. We should not be waiting any more time. At least get the process started."

Jules Vasquez
"But I'm saying that you are just grandstanding  because I am saying the case..."

Kareem Musa
"Grandstanding, oh really? So, you in your opinion, since we are getting into opinions, don't believe he is in gross dereliction of his duty. I am saying he is but I want to hear what you have to say."

Jules Vasquez
"My opinion is inconsequential. I am saying truth will out won't it?"

Kareem Vasquez
"But Jules, in all seriousness here, it is not about grandstanding, it is about ensuring that our elected officials are doing what they were elected to do and to ensure that the rule of law in our country prevails."

And, Musa also had stinging criticism for the only Belizean official named so far in the court documents - the UDP's John Saldivar who is vying for the party leader's post in less than two weeks:

Kareem Musa
"Let's be real here guys, we are talking about someone who is vying for the highest position in this land whose name has been called. And so, he should be the first person, if he is innocent of everything, he should be the first person to say, I will go to Utah myself and I will go to a judge and prove my innocence. He should not be sending out these very vague press releases. He should be giving Jules an interview and not dodging from Jules in the House of Representatives. That is what he should be doing if he is innocent. So, this gentleman, whose name has been called has a lot to answer for. And for us all to just ignore it and be like: okay, we can't find the man, mek we not ask any questions. And then he has a February 9th convention. Imagine that. And the day after the 10th he is supposed to become our Prime Minister. But yet, there is all this cloud of controversy over him and he can't even talk to the media. I mean, come on." 

Whatever the outcome of the convention Prime Minister Dean Barrow has indicated that - in the circumstances - he would stay on as Prime Minister until all the evidence in Utah is ventilated.