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Hon. Mark Lizarraga, Business Senator
"Mr. President, the business community is pleased to see that we are finally using Petrocaribe money, affordable loan money to retire debt obligations of tax payers in the settlement of the bonds and the Fortis debt. We are pleased to see that the government has heeded the advice of the business community for the use of the Petrocaribe money in this most appropriate manner. Mr. President, we are happy to see this motion before us today, one that we will support, because this motion today vindicates and exonorates the business community, the Belize Chamber of Commerce and Industry, its leadership and its then senator, Senator Hulse. Our position then was clearly that government had taken a premature position an unjustified solution in the acquisition of BEL. Today, 4 years later, we are vindicated, as government has come to its senses and negotiated a settlement as was our advice to them 4 years ago."

Hon. Lisa Shoman, PUP Senator
"When we look at the deal that has been struck, we have to realize that it is the government that has woken up from its self-delusional coma to now admit that they need the strategic partner of FORTIS INC. and it is no doubt the smelling saults of a CCJ judgement that has taken them out of that self-induce coma."

"You all can go there and yelled about how beautiful and how nice this is, but usual, the devil can be found in the details and this devil is not an imaginary devil. It is real. We can see its hooves. We can smell its breath. We can see the fire and we are going to get "juk" with the pitchfork, because this will be here to "juk" us."

"I will be claiming a division on this, because I want to see who is going to vote for this. Let it be on record. History will not absolve you. It doesn't matter Senator Thimbriel if you are going to succeed. Let that be your triumph. My triumph will come, when the judgement of history says that this was a deal that the government of Belize got itself into, because it grabs what it shouldn't had to grab and it had to give it up back."

Hon. Joy Grant, UDP Senator
"As usual, the Prime Minister has dealt with a national issue in a transparent and equitable manner and the result is for the benefit of Belizeans."

Hon. Godwin Hulse, Leader of Government Businesses
"But what is the bottom-line. We have company now that the Belizeans can say once again, we own, we control, we have control over our electricity distribution and never again can any foreign company or any foreign entity tell us that they could stimulate black outs or turn off or etc. if we don't take Belizean money to support them and that is a good thing."

In the division that Senator Shoman called, the labour and civil society senator Ray Davis voted in favour - while the business senator was having lunch - but he had already indicated his support. So the Electricity Acquisition Settlement Bill was passed which cleared the way for the 35 million US dollars to be paid by the end of business today.

And while the business sector supports the settlement - Senator Lizarraga accused the Prime Minister of nepotism because his brother was government's attorney working out the settlement:..

Hon. Mark Lizarraga, Business Senator
"Mr. President, we would never call into question the integrity of the Prime Minister. But we believe that the nepotistic preferences and appointments certainly and continue to repeatedly cause serious concerns and questions to the many appointments made by him that appear to preference or favor his family."