As we’ve been reporting, Senior Superintendent Chester Williams has been named in a police investigation into a possible murder. Couple that with the fact that, 1.) This very high profile officer is also being transferred to a lowly desk job and that 2.) Another senior officer has made a police complaint accusing him of issuing mortal threats and you’ve got a very peeved Chester Williams. And that’s why today he decided to go public and get it all off his chest. Our camera was there.

Sr. Supt. Chester Williams,
“I am quite aware that the department is transferable however I must note that the office to which I am being sent is normally held by a person below my rank which means to me that while I am not demoted in rank, basically it is an administrative demotion and I am pretty annoyed by the entire situation. I do not see it as being fair on the part of the Police Department.”

Jules Vasquez,
Why do you think you are being transferred then to a post that is beneath your rank?

Sr. Supt. Chester Williams,
“Well I believe it is some sort of punishment, I don’t know for what reason. I will say this plain: I do believe that they are trying to frustrate me out of my job but I joined police because I have a passion for police and I will continue to perform my duties as a police officer. I will not allow anyone to frustrate me out of my job. I will remain here. Whatever punishment they want to instill upon me by putting me in an office in Belmopan, I will endure the punishment. This world is round, what goes around comes right back around.”

And what he now says will come back around are these human remains which were found on the Coastal Highway last week. An informer – who is a police officer – that the persons was killed by a police death squad.

Sr. Supt. Chester Williams,
“I am one of those officers who are implicated in that report. I will tell you that outright. I am an officer implicated, even though seeing what those bones are like, it is obvious that it was something that was planted by someone in that area, just in order to frame myself and a number of other officers who are very close to me.”

Jules Vasquez,
Sir but if remains that were previously post mortem examined were found at a scene, are you implying at those remains were planted there, which would require that officers of the law exhumed them and moved them to that location. Is that what you’re saying by implication?

Sr. Supt. Chester Williams,
“Jules from what it seems, what it looks like, all indications are that that is what happened and it is sad Jules, it is so sad to see how low a senior officer would stoop just to get a position. Jules if they wanted my position they could have transferred me without even trying to plant any kind of evidence in order to try and swindle me out of my job. I would have taken the transfer. But when an officer would have to stoop so low and go and dig a grave somewhere and bury the bones and just to frame fellow officers. Now Jules imagine if they could do that to me, as a senior member of this Department, what would they not do to you or the other public out there. God bless Belize. I hope that what they are doing to me they do not try and do to anybody else.

They talk about people who go to court, they were so critical of the officers who they say went to court with the Bou-Nehra case and could not identify Bou-Nehra – this is worst than that Jules. This is far worst. This is like trying to send innocent people to jail for a murder. Accusing a person for a murder that person did not commit, trying to frame that person and send that person to jail. It is worst.

Had it not been that these people who buried those bones there had no investigative experience, had they gone and buried bones on which post mortem had not been performed on, where would I have been today? I would have been at prison today.”

And all this he says is a political conspiracy.

Sr. Supt. Chester Williams,
“I somewhat believe that it is political. I believe it is a political game being played and I will not sit back and allow it to be played with me. I am not a politician, I am not a PUP and I am not a PUP. Before the elections were held, I was labeled on the Wave Talk Show every morning as a PUP supporter. I joined the Police Department to serve the people of Belize and not to serve any particular political party. Whichever political party is in government, it is a duty as a professional to serve that party to the best of my ability because at the end of the day they are our bosses. When I go to the poll and vote, I do not vote for a party – I vote for individuals. I vote for the person who I believe is best able to serve the Belizean people.”

Jules Vasquez,
Sir but you will agree that there are allegations that you have acted corruptly to protect friends and affiliates in the past – namely Ben Bou-Nehra, that you bent over backwards, the allegation was to lose the caution statement while it was in the possession of the CIB office that you were the commander of.

Sr. Supt. Chester Williams,
“Jules in relation to the Ben Bou-Nehra case, that caution statement I will say was not lost in police custody. That file left the police station with the caution statement in it and I will not go in any back and forth over the caution statement.”

Jules Vasquez,
Is it of any consequence you believe that you received an $8,000 housing loan in the days before the election from Freetown Area Representative Francis Fonseca? Two people at the same address actually received $8,000 housing loans.

Sr. Supt. Chester Williams,
“I don’t know anything about that Jules. I did not receive loans from Mr. Fonseca, none whatsoever.”

Jules Vasquez,
I’ve seen your name on a list from the Minister of Housing.

Sr. Supt. Chester Williams,
“I got a loan from the Housing Department, not from Mr. Fonseca. There were many persons who got loans.”

Jules Vasquez,
But would you agree that you were a darling, a favorite of the past Minister of Home Affairs and of the past PUP administration?

Sr. Supt. Chester Williams,
“I will not say that Jules. I do my work and I am certain that anybody, if you have someone Jules who works with you and does your work well you will like that person.”

Jules Vasquez,
But you say you’re being treated unfairly now but was it also not unfair how quickly you ascended to Senior Superintendent? It as a meteoric ascent, unmatched in the modern history of the department and was that not the product of favoritism towards Chester Williams who was a favorite of the then administration?

Sr. Supt. Chester Williams,
“Jules I will tell you that apart from myself there were several other officers who got more promotions than me under the PUP administration so I wouldn’t agree with that statement. There were officers who got more promotion than me under the PUP administration.”

Jules Vasquez,
None to a senior post.

Sr. Supt. Chester Williams,
“Yes to senior posts. They were below my rank then and currently some of them are parallel with me or one rank below me which means they got more promotion than me under the previous administration.”

And while politics plays some role, Williams says the Edward Broaster is trying to orchestrate his undoing.

Marion Ali, News 5
“Mr. Williams did you threaten Mr. Broaster?”

Sr. Supt. Chester Williams,
“I made no threat to Mr. Broaster. I would never threaten Mr. Broaster. We have our personal differences but professionally I try to maintain a relationship with him because at the end of the day we are police officers, we work together, and we must learn to co-exist. So I did not threaten Mr. Broaster.”

Jules Vasquez,
The allegation Mr. Broaster made is that you told him, ‘I am close to doing someone something. Mr. Broaster is going around trying to pay people to fabricate evidence against me. You di f$%& around Mr. Broaster, I will f$%^ you up.’ And he alleges you told him, ‘you the f@#$ around Mr. Broaster, I will f$^% you up, you do not know what I am capable of.’ Did you say those words?

Sr. Supt. Chester Williams,
“Some of them I said but if I say you do not know what I am capable of, I am capable of doing anything; I am capaable of eating, I am capable of walking, I am capable of driving a vehicle, I am capable of riding a plane – I am capable of anything. That is not a threat. If he want promotion Jules, you must work to get where you are. Earn your merits, don’t go around and get promotion by trying to cock sucker somebody out of a position – it does not work like that. Earn what you think you deserve.”