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BC or Wayne, feel free to move this to the Offshore forum if you wish. I only put it here so people could get a look at this quickly since Carib is a super popular book. The funds were frozen to a point where workers weren't paid for a while, but temporarily, things are unfrozen. I withdrew 1/3 of my account just to play it sort of safe, but I feel strongly enough that things will ease, even with our government's intervention, that I left the rest in my account. Here's the article......
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Fulton Employees Protest At The Supreme Court (Carib Sports Matter)
Fulton went full out this morning as the majority of its workers represented mightily outside the Supreme Court as their fate was being decided in the Chief Justice's chambers.
As we reported last night, Fulton's Internet operation "Caribsports" is the subject of an investigation by the US department of justice for illegal gambling and money laundering. But none of those supposed illegalities have been established in Belize and Fulton's 80 employees say that government is doing Uncle Sam's dirty work by freezing the company's accounts in local banks.
No money from the bank means no pay and now these 80 employees say their jobs are on the line. And they're not going down without a fight; this morning we were at the Supreme Court judging reactions from fearful employees and the Fulton's attorney Dean Barrow.
Alfonso Noble Reporting,
They didn't raise much of a commotion but the 60 of the 80 Fulton employees made their presence known - even after they were herded into the Battlefield Park by police officers so as not to disturb supreme court hearings. Still, their message to the court and the public was clear.
Fulton Data Employee #1,
"I am here because they are trying to close down our company and take away job."
Fulton Data Employee #2,
"We are out here fighting for our jobs."
Fulton Data Employee #3,
"We are out here because we have family and kids going to school and we need to maintain them."
Those bread and butter concerns had them waiting for close to three hours as Chief Justice Abdulai Conteh held an in chamber hearing on the matter of the Financial Intelligence Unit freezing Fulton's accounts in Belizean banks. The wait however was a way of showing that when GOB does Uncle Sam's bidding, it won't go without complaint.
Fulton Data Employee #2,
"All we can say out here is that we are fighting for our jobs. We are begging to the Belizean government not to adhere to the United States' dictation and that is exactly what it is, 'close them down, shut them down' and in essence that affect us."
Fulton Data Employee #1,
"This is with no notice, freeze everything and expect us to just sit down and take it."
Fulton Data Employee #4,
"We want the government to realize that this is an injustice. It is not fair."
Fulton Data Employee #5,
"It's basically time for Belizeans to get up and be vocal and stop taking things sitting down. Stop being complacent and I think this is one of way of doing that."
And doing that almost chivalric deed for the 80 Fulton employees was attorney Dean Barrow who came out of chambers with a small yet significant cession.
Dean Barrow, Senior Counsel
"The accounts that have been freezed are unblocked by the court to the extent of allowing for the payment of employee's salaries, business expenses, legal expenses. We come back to court on Wednesday afternoon to finally resolve the matter."
That return to court will deal with the bigger issue of the Financial Intelligence Unit's authority over the freezing of funds. Authority that in Barrow's view is totally unconstitutional.
Dean Barrow,
"In my view the law is unconstitutional to the effect that it gives the dire3ctor of FIU a freezing power, I contend that kind of power should be exclusively for the judiciary. Leaving aside that kind of constitutional question, within the four corners of the act they still have not proceeded properly and for that reason the court ought not to give them the freeze."
And depending on what the case's outcome, Barrow says that the fate of employees of Fulton is uncertain.
Dean Barrow,
"It's uncertain, it's uncertain. As I said the immediate future is that they continue to operate but for the longer term it will depend clearly on what the court does and what happens in the US. The major public concern is the job of the employees and while we got for them immediate relief, I can't say what the final outcome will be."
That uncertainty is now just spin-off and spill out effects of decisions taken by government to offer EPZ status to companies that conduct internet gambling and the Belizean government's inability to say no the global superpower.
Dean Barrow,
"The government should taken this into consideration before issuing these licenses to Fulton and other companies. My issues is that can't give assurances to people, have them employ a large Belizean staff and now put those people's jobs at risk mainly because the US exert some pressure."
"This government on the other hand bent over backwards, or maybe forward to accommodate the US. It is a matter for them but this will have serious local ramifications."
Just like it did today and which will happen again on Wednesday when the matter will return to court.
The Financial Intelligence Unit - which has taken control of Fulton's Accounts, is represented by attorneys Oscar Sabido and Derek Courtenay.
The hearing will continue on Wednesday afternoon. Employees vowed to be back at the Supreme Court observing the proceedings.
__________________________________________________ __
Fulton Employees Protest At The Supreme Court (Carib Sports Matter)
Fulton went full out this morning as the majority of its workers represented mightily outside the Supreme Court as their fate was being decided in the Chief Justice's chambers.
As we reported last night, Fulton's Internet operation "Caribsports" is the subject of an investigation by the US department of justice for illegal gambling and money laundering. But none of those supposed illegalities have been established in Belize and Fulton's 80 employees say that government is doing Uncle Sam's dirty work by freezing the company's accounts in local banks.
No money from the bank means no pay and now these 80 employees say their jobs are on the line. And they're not going down without a fight; this morning we were at the Supreme Court judging reactions from fearful employees and the Fulton's attorney Dean Barrow.
Alfonso Noble Reporting,
They didn't raise much of a commotion but the 60 of the 80 Fulton employees made their presence known - even after they were herded into the Battlefield Park by police officers so as not to disturb supreme court hearings. Still, their message to the court and the public was clear.
Fulton Data Employee #1,
"I am here because they are trying to close down our company and take away job."
Fulton Data Employee #2,
"We are out here fighting for our jobs."
Fulton Data Employee #3,
"We are out here because we have family and kids going to school and we need to maintain them."
Those bread and butter concerns had them waiting for close to three hours as Chief Justice Abdulai Conteh held an in chamber hearing on the matter of the Financial Intelligence Unit freezing Fulton's accounts in Belizean banks. The wait however was a way of showing that when GOB does Uncle Sam's bidding, it won't go without complaint.
Fulton Data Employee #2,
"All we can say out here is that we are fighting for our jobs. We are begging to the Belizean government not to adhere to the United States' dictation and that is exactly what it is, 'close them down, shut them down' and in essence that affect us."
Fulton Data Employee #1,
"This is with no notice, freeze everything and expect us to just sit down and take it."
Fulton Data Employee #4,
"We want the government to realize that this is an injustice. It is not fair."
Fulton Data Employee #5,
"It's basically time for Belizeans to get up and be vocal and stop taking things sitting down. Stop being complacent and I think this is one of way of doing that."
And doing that almost chivalric deed for the 80 Fulton employees was attorney Dean Barrow who came out of chambers with a small yet significant cession.
Dean Barrow, Senior Counsel
"The accounts that have been freezed are unblocked by the court to the extent of allowing for the payment of employee's salaries, business expenses, legal expenses. We come back to court on Wednesday afternoon to finally resolve the matter."
That return to court will deal with the bigger issue of the Financial Intelligence Unit's authority over the freezing of funds. Authority that in Barrow's view is totally unconstitutional.
Dean Barrow,
"In my view the law is unconstitutional to the effect that it gives the dire3ctor of FIU a freezing power, I contend that kind of power should be exclusively for the judiciary. Leaving aside that kind of constitutional question, within the four corners of the act they still have not proceeded properly and for that reason the court ought not to give them the freeze."
And depending on what the case's outcome, Barrow says that the fate of employees of Fulton is uncertain.
Dean Barrow,
"It's uncertain, it's uncertain. As I said the immediate future is that they continue to operate but for the longer term it will depend clearly on what the court does and what happens in the US. The major public concern is the job of the employees and while we got for them immediate relief, I can't say what the final outcome will be."
That uncertainty is now just spin-off and spill out effects of decisions taken by government to offer EPZ status to companies that conduct internet gambling and the Belizean government's inability to say no the global superpower.
Dean Barrow,
"The government should taken this into consideration before issuing these licenses to Fulton and other companies. My issues is that can't give assurances to people, have them employ a large Belizean staff and now put those people's jobs at risk mainly because the US exert some pressure."
"This government on the other hand bent over backwards, or maybe forward to accommodate the US. It is a matter for them but this will have serious local ramifications."
Just like it did today and which will happen again on Wednesday when the matter will return to court.
The Financial Intelligence Unit - which has taken control of Fulton's Accounts, is represented by attorneys Oscar Sabido and Derek Courtenay.
The hearing will continue on Wednesday afternoon. Employees vowed to be back at the Supreme Court observing the proceedings.