Removal of Azcona by the Corte Suprema de Justicia, of course, constitutes complete validation of the case I made against him personally, and the corrupted Court of Letters over which he presided. What with his distinguished family ties into the very apex of the incumbent Liberal political party, there is no way he would have been removed without overwhelming evidence of his own judicial misconduct, as well as unconscionable perversion of the judicial functions a Court of Letters. A Court, it must be added, that was and is constitutionally charged with providing honest and equitable treatment to everyone within its jurisdiction.

However, nobody should make the mistake of thinking that Azcona - by himself - created the problems that destroyed him.

Regular visitors to this WebSite, and readers of other publications in which my work appears know that the dominant character in almost everything I have written on these matters has been - and remains - Roatan’s resident fugitive from justice, Arnold Morris. He was the ever-present eminence gris in Fernando Azcona’s tragedy. Nobody should forget this, because such malefaction should neither be overlooked nor rewarded.

Arnold Moriss’ son, Scott, is serving a sentence in the Florida State Penitentiary for his complicity in commercial crimes engineered by his father. This declaration is backed up by statements made on the record by both Mike Shea, the (Tampa) FBI Agent who investigated the Morris commercial fraud and money-laundering case in Florida, and Dennis Moore,
the United States Attorney who prosecuted it. Morris fled to avoid prosecution, leaving his son to take the rap for him.

So Fernando Azcona is not the first of the Morris victims, and I confidently predict he will not be the last. I conveyed this conviction to Fiscal General de la Republica, Doctor Jesus Martinez Suazo, in a letter dated March 22, 1997, in which I said in part:
________________________

"…..Although the sitting Judge of Letters must be held responsible for what happens in his Court, in this situation I consider Fernando Azcona to be more a victim than a willing co-conspirator. The person most responsible for the problems in the Roatan Court is Arnold Morris. This man corrupts everybody he touches, including his own son. When Morris decided to run from the U. S. Federal Indictment, his son, Scott, who was also involved in the fraudulent activities, was unable to get away. Scott Morris was captured, tried and convicted, and he is presently serving a sentence in the Florida State Penitentiary."

………."I feel certain that your inquiries will lead you to the same conclusion that I hold: Arnold Morris corrupted Fernando Azcona, and continues to manipulate him in the most callous and criminally vicious manner. With the Judge of Letters "in his pocket", Morris is able to operate with almost complete legal impunity."
________________________

Under British Common-Law, the Napoleonic Code, and statutes in nearly every civilized nation around the world, a person who offers or pays a bribe is just as guilty as the official who accepts it. In view of this legal verity, it is logically and/or legally impossible for the Honduras judicial authority to punish Fernando Azcona, without also holding his seducer, Arnold Morris, responsible for his key role in the events involved. Theirs, in terms of legal definition, is shared guilt.

Morris is finding his protection from United States law under a fraudulently obtained Honduras citizenship that was arranged through then-Presidente, Rafael Callejas, for US$25,000.00 and a Cadillac automobile. Instead of protecting him from Honduras law, however, his Honduras citizenship now makes him subject to Honduras laws. It will be interesting to see how long it takes the same people who pulled the chain on Azcona, to get the essential mover and shaker in Azcona’s problems into their investigative sights.

In the interests of both law and logic, Arnold Morris should be the next candidate for harsh Honduran retribution. If Honduras is, indeed, a nation of law, he will be.

There are those who are already saying that I am gloating about my role in removing Fernando Azcona from his judgeship. They are wrong. This is no occasion for gloating on my part.

Until he decided to help Arnold and Rita Morris, Emilio Silvestre and Modesto Gonzales steal my island properties, I considered Fernando my very good friend. I have known him - and his father - almost all of his life. I was proud of his attainment of a judgeship at such a very young age. There was no reason for me to change these appraisals, until he make me a victim of his collusive scheming with the Arnold Morris /
Southwind Properties confederacy.

In a letter I wrote to Fernando Azcona on 19 November, 1996, I told him:

========================
"....I have delayed (fighting you) for a long time, hoping that sooner or later the legal system would offer a way for me to deal with this gang of land thieves, led by an internationally "wanted" commercial criminal, and a known fugitive from American justice - hiding behind a purchased Honduras passport. Holding to such a hope was wishful thinking on my part. Morris and his "family" are clearly above the law. I now realize that if I am to be helped, I must help myself. So I will.

By my doing this, some more people are going to be hurt - badly. As Modesto Gonzales has been hurt: Not because he is personally a bad man, but because he chose the wrong people as associates. Much as I dislike seeing this happen, I am going to begin working on this situation with the tools at my command, on my own timetable, and with only a single thought it mind: What best serves my own interests.

Believe me when I tell you that I am very sorry to do what I now must do."
=========================

At the time I wrote this, I am sure neither of us knew how prophetic my words would prove to be. While I am filled with regret that these tragic events took place, I make no apology for my part in them. My only real regret at this point is that ALL of the culpable parties to the crimes committed against many honest islanders are not also caught up in the same toils of the law that now hold Fernando Azcona. But
their time will come. Be sure of it.

I am by no means the only victim. I just happen to be the only victim who was willing and financially able to take on the confederations and combinations of conniving political/judicial/commercial crooks, who had turned the Island of Roatan into their own corrupt fiefdom. It was not an easy decision for me to make. Nor was it free of risks, both both financial and personal. But faced with the same situation today, I would probably make the same decisions and take the same actions that I took then. It is not in my nature to do otherwise.

As I stated in a letter I wrote to El Presidente, Don Carlos Roberto Reina, on January 9, 1997:

==============================

"……If these matters are allowed to proceed to the next stage, they are going to turn into a full-fledged international scandal. I do not want this, nor do I think you want it. But neither am I going to sit idly by and be deprived of my property by collusion between an international crook and a corrupted Court of Letters."

Someone has said, "For evil to succeed, all that is required is that good men do nothing." If evil is not opposed, it triumphs. I am determined, insofar as I can prevent it, that this particular evil shall not triumph on "The Incredible Island."

         ----------- E N D ----------------

Lorenzo Dee Belveal, Author
Copyright © 1997 Lorenzo Dee Belveal
All Rights Reserved

Guadalajara, Jalisco, MEXICO