Supreme Court Claim No. 376 of 2005
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IN THE SUPREME COURT OF BELIZE, A.D. 2005 CLAIM NO. 376 SAID MUSA Claimant BETWEEN AND ANNMARIE WILLIAMS HARRY LAWRENCE REPORTER PRESS LIMITED Defendants __ BEFORE the Honourable Abdulai Conteh, Chief Justice. Mr. Kareem Musa for the claimant. Mr. Dean Barrow S.C. for the defendants. __ JUDGMENT Introduction Given the dramatis personae in this case which, by any account, contains an unusual cast, I had during the hearing constantly to remind myself that this was a trial of a claim in a court of law and not a political trial, whatever this may mean. On the one hand, is arrayed the Prime Minister and leader of one of the political parties (the PUP), who has his son as his attorney. Ranged on the other side is the Leader of the Opposition and the leader of the other main political party (the UDP) as the attorney for the defendants of whom the second defendant, Mr. H. 1 Lawrence admitted, albeit, under cross examination, that he was a founding member of the UDP. Mr. Lawrence who struck me as an honest witness now says his newspaper, The Reporter, supports no political party and has no partisan agenda. However, given the persons involved in this case, the political overtones of the case could not be missed. However, I need hardly say that this is a court of law and the issues joined between the parties are to be decided only in accordance with the law and evidence, and nothing more and nothing less. 2. Mr. Said Musa, the claimant in this case, is the Prime Minister of Belize, the Area Representative of the Fort George Division in the House of Representatives, leader of the People’s United Party (PUP), one of the two main political parties in the country, as well as a member of the bar with the rank of a Senior Counsel. He has brought the present claim against the defendants complaining that they published an editorial piece in their newspaper, The Reporter, for the 2 nd October 2005 that contained defamatory words of him. Mr. Musa therefore claims against the defendants damages, including aggravated and exemplary damages, for the alleged libel. He also claims as well an injunction to restrain the defendants and their servants or agents or otherwise however, from the publication of the words he complains against or any similar words to like effect. He also claims costs against the defendants. 3. The first defendant is the editor of The Reporter, while the second defendant, Mr. Harry Lawrence, is its publisher and editorinchief. In both his witness statement and testimony he admitted authorship of the editorial Mr. Musa has sought to impugn by these proceedings. The third defendant is the printer of The Reporter. 4. The Reporter itself is a weekly newspaper with a publication rate of about five thousand and a countrywide readership. 2 The complaint of libel 5. The words Mr. Musa claims are libelous of him are contained in the editorial column of The Reporter for the 2 nd October 2005 and are as follows: “Six months ago in March, when he needed U.S. $14 million to pay off a note that had become due, the Prime Minister had to commit an illegal act and write off $16 million in back taxes of the Belize Bank as part of the sale deal!” “Mr. Ashcroft, who reports say contributed eight million dollars to the Musa landslide election victory in March 2003, wants to make sure he had undisputed control of B.T.L.!” “Our guess is that he will use his party’s resources, now rich from private deals, to buy the next general elections.” 6. Mr. Musa therefore, avers that these words, in their natural and ordinary meaning meant and were understood to mean: “(a) That (he) committed an illegal act. (b) That (he) wrote off $16 million in back taxes of the Belize Bank. (c) That (he) is guilty of misconduct and engages in illegal activities. (d) That (he) is a man of disrepute and abuses his office and position for political purposes and personal motives. 3 (e) That (he) is corrupt and dishonest. (f) That (he) is above the law and thinks he is above the law. (g) That (he) received eight million dollars from Mr. Ashcroft (the principal shareholder of the Belize Bank), to fund his political campaign for the March 2003 elections. That these funds were given to (him) as part of an illegal bargain to write off the back taxes of the Belize Bank. (h) That (he) will use his party’s resources, now rich from private deals resulting from (his) involvement in illegal activities with the Belize Bank, Mr. Ashcroft and others, to buy the next general elections.” 7. Mr. Musa, therefore, claims that the words he complains of have gravely injured his reputation, exposed him to public scandal and contempt, seriously injured his character, credit and reputation as the Prime Minister of Belize and leader of the PUP and have caused him considerable embarrassment and distress. 8. Mr. Musa also claims that the defendants printed and published the offending words out of malevolence or spite towards him. He proceeded in his Statement of Claim, to give particulars of what he alleges as the defendants’ malice towards him. “Particulars of Malice (a) The Plaintiff is and was at all material times the Prime Minister of Belize and Leader of the People’s United Party. The Defendants are opponents of 4 the current administration and government and the People’s United Party as well as supporters of the opposing United Democratic Party. (b) The Defendants published and printed or caused to be published and printed the words complained of with an intent to embarrass, discredit, and dishonor the Claimant and to injure the reputation of the Claimant and out of political motive. (c) The Defendants have both before and since the publication of the said libel published and printed or caused to be published and printed other words and matters defamatory and derogatory of the Claimant. Examples of such defamatory and derogatory words printed and published by the Defendants include the following: (1) “In doing so the Musa government is not only breaking the law. It is also exploiting the people in various subtle ways to enrich itself and its new-found friends.” (February 22 nd, 2004, page 2). (2) “Can nothing stop the PUP’s rapacious theft and abuse of Belize’s assets and natural resources?” (July 11 th, 2004, page 20). (3) “Again and again Belizeans are confronted with the sting and stink of often illegal deals hatched behind their backs by Prime Minister Musa and Ralph Fonseca, deals often made without even the full knowledge of the Cabinet.” (October 17 th, 2004, page 24). (4) “In a stunningly blatant manner, the Government of Belize continues to manipulate the laws of the country in a manner which is not only totally illegal but also a sure path to further corruption at ever level of our society.” (November 7th , page 24). (5) “The Musa and Fonseca government seems to actually believe that it can ride roughshod over all democratic law and practice, cheat and lie, steal and make up new rules as it goes along.” (December 26 th, 2004, page 24). 5 (6) “They have to make these sacrifices, then stand back and watch as our profligate Prime Minister squanders the money by the millions on his friends, and comes back, hand outstretched, for more taxes.” (January 23 rd, 2005, page 2). (7) “The majority of Belizeans are being hit by higher prices for everything every day while Musa and his bunch of thugs rob the country blind.” (October 20 th, 2005, page 27). (d) The Claimant, before the commencement of the Claim demanded and (sic) apology and public retraction from the Defendants. The Defendants have refused to retract the words complained of and have failed and refused to apologize for same.” 9. Mr. Musa therefore seeks damages against the defendants on an aggravated footing and relies in support of this on the editorial found on page 2 of The Reporter, Volume 38, Number 41 and dated Sunday, October 16, 2005. That is, two weeks after the publication of the editorial that has prompted the present proceedings. That editorial states among other things: “Does the Prime Minister of Belize have the legal authority to write off taxes owed to the consolidated revenue of Belize? Prime Minister Said Musa appears to think so because he has threatened to take libel action against the Reporter for saying he committed an illegal act in writing off some $16 million in back taxes owed by the Belize Bank.” “So the accusation of unlawful activity is not new. But it will perhaps take a court pronouncement to convince the Prime Minister he does not have the right to barter away the country’s resources.” 6 “If there is no such legal authority, it means in effect the Prime Minister is doing something not sanctioned by law. He is committing an illegal act and should be legally responsible.” 10. Mr. Musa further relies on the following facts and matters to support his claim for aggravated and/or exemplary damages: (a) That the defendants published the words in their newspaper he seeks to impugn calculating thereby to increase the circulation of the said newspaper with a view to making a profit from the increased sales and of advertising space therein. (b) That the defendants printed and published the words complained of knowing them to be libelous of the claimant or with a reckless disregard as to whether or not the said words were libelous of him.