The Belize City Council’s woes continue, as Amandala learned on Tuesday that three senior employees of City Hall have joined a long list of individuals who have resigned under the tenure of Mayor Zenaida Moya-Flowers.
The Mayor had no comment for us when we spoke with her on Wednesday, stating only that we would have to speak to the individuals in question.
Amandala has confirmed that City Administrator Dr. Kiran Vanjani; Financial Director Zane Castillo; and Manager of the Traffic Department, Kevaughn Jenkins, have handed in their notices.
Dr. Vanjani and administrative assistant Kiran Bhudrani, along with Mayor Moya-Flowers, are accused of failure to follow city council regulations, and in the case of Vanjani and the Mayor, 22 counts of uttering a false document. The preliminary inquiry into these charges takes place next Monday, June 7.
Castillo took over in January of this year from the deceased Dwain Davis, who was the fourth defendant in that case before collapsing and eventually dying of a stroke last November.
Jenkins was recently involved in the uncovering of alleged vehicle registration fraud in his department, which resulted in the firing of one Kenyon Lord and the investigation of two other employees.
We spoke with Dr. Vanjani via telephone on Wednesday. She told us that her resignation is effective next Friday, June 11, and that in her view after one year at City Hall and some success in steering the administration of the City, it is time for her to “move ahead.” She added that it was “okay” having worked at the Council over the last 12 months, and denied that she was being pushed out over her part in the October case.
Castillo told us that he will be leaving tomorrow, Friday, June 4, “for personal reasons.” He also confirmed a report in local news quoting Deputy Mayor Phillip Willoughby as saying that he had accepted a post with the United Nations Development Program (UNDP).
We have been unable to reach Jenkins this week, but the Deputy Mayor is quoted as saying he is negotiating with Jenkins to have him hold off on leaving, and that he believes Jenkins is the man to lead the department.