Director of Public Prosecutions Cheryl Lynne Vidal sent a shock to the system earlier this week when she told 7News that the police investigative file on Joseph Budna contains, quote, "less than nothing".
The Prime Minister today expressed what he calls "disappointment" with her remarks - but Joseph Budna feels a lot worse; he's outraged - not at what the DPP said - but at the state of the police investigation into his abduction.
He spoke to Jules Vasquez from a Guatemala City jail on the phone prisoners are permitted to use. Here's his reaction to the DPP's grim assessment:
Voice of: Joseph Ryan Budna, Preventivo Para Hombres Zona 18
"I am very disappointed. I don't know how is it that the police would investigate themselves when this comes from the ruling government who directed the police to conduct a kidnapping of a citizen of Belize, of myself, Jules."
"How could they even start the investigation without contacting or conclude an investigation or get in the middle of an investigation without even contacting the victim himself which is me!"
"There was no effort and there is no effort it seems like, from the prime minister himself who had an interview with me, he walks up to me at the People's Stadium Orange Walk Town if he could have beaten me there, he would have done that to me, because he was very mad."
Jules Vasquez
"The DPP has said that with what is in that file, there can certainly be no arrests based on what is in that file. When you heard that, what was your reaction?"
Joseph Ryan Budna, Preventivo Para Hombres Zona 18
"Now I am saddened and it hurts to know that these are the people running the country of Belize, the nation of Belize."
"Prime Minister you need to do what is right, if you want to clear your name, you want to clear that you have nothing to do with it."
"And until you, Prime Minister, call upon an independent investigation where the police will not be involved, then there could be a little bit of trust. But for now I can tell you that there have been clearly, clearly evidence from the government, from yourself, because you head the government, from yourself to cover up all evidence."
"The Prime Minister is not an investigator. He's not an investigator. He should have never put his hand on the file, especially when his government is being accused of this! I am saying his government is responsible. Why would he put his hand on the file? That is what I want him to answer for. And yet you put his hand on the file and what you did? You make the situation worse because now you guys sent less than nothing to the DPP."
"Because the Prime Minister is not an investigator, he is the leader of the People's United Party, the leader of the government and he should not get himself directly involved , or his hands on these files, he should have never asked for those files, he should have said, ok, DPP, ok tek control of this ting ya, right there and then."
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