Funny money business in the U.D.P.

Tension is high inside the ruling United Democratic Party, following reports that two high ranking members are engaged in funny money business.

Government minister Anthony “Boots” Martinez is under suspicion for depositing large sums of money in his Belize Bank account, while Belize City Mayor Zenaida Moya is under scrutiny for allegedly securing large sums of cash from her Council by illegally paying herself.

The allegations come just days before U.D.P. supporters decide if Moya should be the mayoral candidate for the U.D.P. in the 2009 March Belize City Council election.

Anthony “Boots” Martinez, the south side area representative of Port Loyola Belize City and the Minister in charge of Public Works, has denied wrong doing when he deposited over $132,000 in cash at his Belize Bank account over the last seven months since taking office.

The Leader of the Opposition, Hon Johnny Briceno, opened the can of worms this week via a letter addressed to Prime Minister Dean Barrow, asking that an investigation be carried out by the Financial Intelligence Unit (F.I.U.) against Martinez.

http://www.reporter.bz/index.php?option=content&task=view&id=3072&Itemid=2

It’s Z against the world!
As we go to press today, Belize City is abuzz with red-shirted campaigners pounding the pavement and trekking house to house, trying to convince registered Belize City voters to come out to the Belize City Center on Sunday, October 5 – when the big question will be decided: will the popular incumbent mayor, Zenaida Moya – under a tsunami of charges of wild spending, nepotism and corruption, from opponents right in her own party – survive the storm to contest the 2009 municipals? Or will her challenger, Anthony Michael, become the UDP’s new mayoral candidate in the City?
http://www.amandala.com.bz/index.php?id=7519

City councilors want back $90,000 of Zenaida’s salary
Belize City mayor, Zenaida Moya, is going head to head again with her Council over recently disclosed allegations that she had been overpaying herself $3,000 a month on top of her $6,000 monthly salary. Amandala has been informed by an inside source that Belize City councilors who met today are asking Moya to return $90,000 to the Council, because they claim that for the past two years and a half, she sneakily paid herself money she was not supposed to.
http://www.amandala.com.bz/index.php?id=7518