In April of 2013, OCEANA Belize and other claimants won a major victory against the Government of Belize in court, when they fought against off-shore
oil drilling. In that case, Justice Oswell Legal declared 6 offshore oil drilling contracts illegal. Those contracts were issued by Government between
2005 and 2007.
Well, the Government filed notice of appeal at the Court of Appeal, meaning that they did not intend to let the judgment from Justice Legal stand. That
would have been a complex and costly legal battle, but, in a surprising turn, the Government attorneys filed a notice today to say that they are
withdrawing the case.
That means that this big win against offshore oil drilling stands, and in a press release from OCEANA's Vice President, Janelle Chanona, it says,
quote,
"We view the decision by the Government of Belize to withdraw its appeal as a demonstration of the…Barrow administration's commitment to safeguarding
the country's marine resources. Oceana Belize is in the process of proposing language to formalise the moratorium on Production Sharing Agreements for
offshore areas which would ensure the protection of our economically important marine environment and outline clear benefits to Belizeans today and for
future generations."
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