Today other witnesses included Edmond Castro’s driver Norman Middleton, Burgess’ husband Curt Burgess and CEO of Great Belize Productions Amalia Mai. Just as the defence hinged on the testimony of Minister Castro the claimant’s case hinges on the cross-examination of Alvarene Burgess. Castro is claiming that he was defamed by the revelations of Burgess, which he says are all lies. Burgess, on the other hand, has stated and stated again today that Minister Castro demanded and was paid two thousand dollars for each visa recommendation he signed for Chinese nationals. While it wasn’t readily apparent to us in Court today, as he emerged from the Courtroom attorney Rodwell Williams says Burgess’ story doesn’t add up.
Reporter
“Sir would you reject the suggestion that no matter how hard you tried to poke holes in Ms. Burgess’ story you failed?”
Rodwell Williams, Attorney for Edmond Castro
Rodwell Williams
“Not really. I think that were you to seek to count the inconsistencies they do add up. They may appear to be little inconsistencies. She sat on the fence, she doesn’t want to jump over that side or this side of the fence…fencing, as Mr. Smith referred to it. That’s all she did…fence. And when the questions were too probing, she simply didn’t respond to them, or don’t remember, don’t remember, don’t remember…even when the logical thing would have been I don’t agree, she don’t remember. And I want to say that when you take the details of it and you tally it in terms of contradictions between the witness statement and her affidavit to the Ombudsman and contradiction in the very statement that was broadcast on air with regard to specifically for instance, she is saying that she paid the Minister twelve thousand dollars or two thousand dollars a pop for recommendations…that she gave the money from her hand to his hand…then not really, it was in an envelope, then not really I had to give him the money first before I give him anything else. Those are just small instances of I would consider innumerable contradictions with regard to her testimony. And I do intend to tabulate those instances and refer to them in our submission.”
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