In this week's Senate debate $14 million dollars more from rehabilitation of the George Price Highway and Roaring Creek Bridge between Belmopan and Santa Elena Towns was approved despite questions about where it was actually going - to acquisition of land along the highway for widening it, or for other reasons. Senator for the Business Community Mark Lizarraga, a long champion of financial prudence especially in matters of works, complained among other things that the contract for the actual works was not presented in the National Assembly for scrutiny, mentioning that he had even contacted the Inter-American Development Bank, financiers of the project, for assistance, to no avail. Attorney General Senator Michael Peyrefitte contended that the information is just a phone call away - to him. Here is what Peyrefitte said in the House and Lizarraga's response in a conference call with reporters afterward.
According to Lizarraga, pursuing such details under the Freedom of Information Act would prove costly and time-consuming and leave him with little preparation time for a Senate debate.
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