Shyne Barrow Threatens Legal Action Over Passport Report

A legal dispute has arisen between former UDP leader Moses “Shyne” Barrow and 7 News Belize over a news report aired on March 26. Barrow’s legal team is claiming that the report is defamatory and factually incorrect, with serious allegations regarding his diplomatic passport. In a letter sent by Barrow’s attorneys, WA Lindo LLP, they argue that the report misrepresents the facts, falsely claiming that Barrow had shown reluctance in surrendering his passport. The legal team insists that Barrow had already returned the passport to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs by 10:51 a.m. on March 26, eight hours before the article was published. Barrow’s attorneys also say that the report painted their client as defiant, damaging his reputation and causing unnecessary embarrassment. In response, Barrow’s legal team has issued several demands. Additionally, Barrow took to Facebook to weigh in on the issue stating “Stop the lies Jules Vasquez!” Barrow then stated that, quote, “there was no passport issue! The fact is the only persons that had an issue were mischief makers such as Vasquez who does not care about the truth but will run any unverified headline story just to drive traffic to their news feed.” End of quote.  In a separate action, Barrow, through Pitts, Pitts & Associates, also sent a letters to the Belize News Network and Hot off the Press, which published similar posts on Facebook. The letter condemns the posts as false and misleading, claiming it suggested that Barrow refused to return his passport and even implied he had stolen government property. Barrow’s legal team categorically denies these claims and demands the immediate removal of the posts, a public retraction, and compensation for the damage to Barrow’s reputation. The attorney further warns that the defamatory statements could lead to legal action under the Belize Cyber Crimes Act, urging the Facebook blog to settle the matter before it reaches court.