BELMOPAN, Belize (CMC) — A rift within Belize’s main Opposition United Democratic Party (UDP) is widening with Opposition Leader Moses “Shyne” Barrow and several others filing an ex-parte application asking the High Court to immediately grant custody and possession of the party’s headquarters to the former chairman, Mike Peyrefitte.

Barrow is in a battle for the leadership of the party with Tracy Taegar-Panton, who heads a dissent group within the party claiming they are the legitimate leaders.

Earlier this year, Barrow had written to the Speaker of the Parliament indicating that Taegar-Panton and at least two other legislators were no longer members of the party. But she has has since said she was elected leader at a special convention.

Last month, Police Commissioner Chester Williams said the police have no legal authority to determine who is to occupy the headquarters and urged the factions involved to settle the matter in a court of law.

In the lawsuit filed against Taegar-Panton and others, the High Court is being asked to restore the previous state of affairs by granting immediate custody and possession of the UDP headquarters to Peyrefitte.

It also requests an order to allow Barrow and the Central Executive Committee to immediately re-enter and take control of the headquarters and to have Taegar-Panton and her executives promptly removed from the building.

The applicants are asking for a declaration to clarify whether Barrow or Taegar-Panton is the legitimate leader of the party.

Barrow is also seeking a ruling that Taegar-Panton has no legal or trust-based authority to possess the UDP. He also  wants declarations stating that Taegar-Panton cannot remove the claimants from the headquarters and that she unlawfully took control of the Guardian Newspaper and Wave Radio, which are organs of the UDP.

Meanwhile, the staff members at the Guardian newspapers, say they have been given an assurance saying that they will be receiving their salaries after claiming that Barrow had instructed  a signatory not to sign the cheques.

“As a matter of fact…cheques were issued, and everybody and staff that needed to be paid was paid. The party leader(Taegar-Panton) is continuing to maintain that position until our accounting systems are put in order,: said Alfonso Noble, the newspaper’s  editor.