Attorney Arthur Saldivar charged for spreading false information

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Arthur Saldivar is well-known as a defense attorney, and as a politician, who was once strongly affiliated with the PUP. This weekend, he gained a different kind of notoriety when police arrested and charged him for spreading fake news on Facebook. His post, in which he tried to bring the Barrow Government into disrepute, has landed him under the police’s magnifying glass. They also charged him with firearms offenses.
His legal troubles started on Saturday, March 28, 2020, a post went live on Facebook from his personal account. In those public comments, he said, “Why are you playing Russian Roulette with the Belizean People?? Today, March 28th, 2020, a group of persons from Los Angeles California, including a non-Belizean are being facilitated for entry at our Northern Border by a politician from the ruling UDP administration. Los Angeles has been hit hard by the Corona Virus, we still do not know the true extent of the spread in Belize but for a few dollars more you are endangering the entire population? Calling on all media to go to the Santa Elena Border today.”
Police say that they were able to determine that his allegation was completely false, but by that time, it was already shared over 40 times. That post also caused alarm among Belizeans who read it and accepted his comments as statements of fact. After all, he is a successful attorney.
The government had already warned that Belizeans spreading fake news would be criminally prosecuted. Saldivar became the second person to be criminally charged for the offense of spreading false news. He has since been arraigned for that offense, and he told the press that he pleaded not guilty to the charge.
Unfortunately for Saldivar, that wasn’t the end of his ordeal. Police later started to investigate him for firearm-related offenses after they reportedly discovered that his license for his personal weapon had expired several months ago. If investigators are correct, it means that Saldivar has been in possession of a firearm without a valid gun license from the Commissioner of Police.
On Monday, March 30, 2020, at about 7:00 p.m. police visited Saldivar’s residence in Camalote Village, Cayo District. The police conducted a search which resulted in the discovery of a 12-gauge pump-action shotgun, a 20-gauge cartridge, two .22 rounds of ammunition, 74 9mm rounds of ammunition, 25 12 gauge cartridges, a bulletproof vest. On Tuesday, March 31, Saldivar was formally arrested and charged for four counts keeping ammunition without having a gun license, keeping a firearm without a gun license and being in possession of an unregistered bulletproof vest
His colleague, Richard “Dickie” Bradley, has told the press that Saldivar disputes any assertion that he does not have a valid gun license. Bradley said that Saldivar’s counterpoint to this allegation is that he has a formal government receipt showing that he paid for his license.
Bradley has also accused police of mishandling that search at Saldivar’s family home, and they are criticizing the police for supposedly keeping Saldivar detained as a form of punishment. He has suggested that investigators could have swiftly charged Saldivar. According to Bradley, police are sitting on the case to extend the detention period instead.
Saldivar has since appeared in Magistrate’s court where he pleaded not guilty to the offenses and was granted bail in the sum of $20,000 which he met. His matter was adjourned until July 29.