Last week we reported on the latest battle between the Ashcroft Alliance and the Barrow Administration. It's over legal and other costs - arising from the settlement of the BTL acquisition. We've been reporting that the final figure would be in the many tens of millions of dollars. Tonight, we can report that it is in the hundreds of millions. That's right, figures we've heard put it at 130 million US dollars - that's more than a quarter billion Belize dollars. In just legal and other costs!
Now these costs are to be claimed against what is known as the accommodation amount - which is the 60% of the 460 million dollar settlement arising from that agreement.
Now, those monies were to go - in Belize dollars - towards, quote, "fund(ing) projects to help the people of Belize". But the agreement was that those funds would be set aside after expenses. And now the bill for those expenses are in, and reports say it's about 250 million Belize dollars - almost all of the Accommodation amount - leaving government with a few million for those social projects. The Prime Minister has said that he will fight it. The leader of the opposition says that he cannot fight the agreement which he signed. Here are John Bricneo;s comments made on Saturday in Cayo:..
John Briceno, Leader of the Opposition
"I don't know why he is going to the Caribbean Court of Justice. It is an agreement that he signed. He as an attorney and his law partner Rodwell Williams, both of them are senior counsel, they can understand legal language. They know what they signed. To me it is a sham. He knew what he is signing. Now he wants to give the impression to the Belizean people as if he is fighting for them, because has been proudly 'see I'm going to get this special trust fund for the Belizean people and we the government are going to take out monies from that so we can do something for the Belizean people.' Just to find out that almost all of the money is going to pay the legal fees."
The costs would have to be paid in US dollars.
Email
Print