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PAC Man Julius Scolds UDP Committee Members
posted (January 10, 2019)

Today, We met area representatives Kareem Musa and Julius Espat at the National Assembly building in Belmopan. They were there to have a meeting of the Public Accounts Committee, but only they showed up - and that isn’t enough for a quorum. PAC Chairman Julius Espat says this has become the norm where the UDP committee members don’t bother to show up and he says they are way behind on the revision of several reports. Here is how Espat put it.

Hon. Julius Espat - PAC Chairman
"We've been asking for meetings with the PAC since September. To give yo a little history, we finished our investigation and hearings of the report for the auditor general in mid year last year and the entire committee requested that our side prepare a report to be tabled to the house so that they could review. That was report was done and it's here in my hands. It was sent to them in September and since then we've been asking for meetings for us to review that report to see if they have any input. There was one meeting that one member came which the Hon. Patrick Faber and he came just to inform all us that they haven't reviewed it but they don't agree with it but they haven't come up with something on their own either. So I've been contineously calling meetings, September, October, November, December and now January and the same thing continues. I'm not surprised, I don't think the Belizean people will be surprised either but I think it's a shame, it is showing that government has no intention of respecting the rule of law and we have to understand that the PAC is the only committee in parliament that has the power to exercise checks and balances in the executive. So they're fully aware of what they are doing, that is why I believe corruption it is at it's highest right now and it will even get worse because the government in power doesn't care and to even go further, even the members that are present on government side are not supposed to be there because they are the same ministers who are in charge of the ministries that we are looking into. So the whole system is flawed, it is extremely flawed, it is disappointing but I have found my way to say that we have to continue."

Courtney Weatherburne
"At this point, what report have you all been able to review and can you disclose some of what you observed?"

Hon. Julius Espat
"We have been able to review as the 212, 213 auditor general's report. I have what I consider the minority report. I mean, if they can't read, they can't give no reason why they can't analyze it you know because the thing only got 20 pages and one page is the important one which gives 6 recommendations as to what we need to do and the recommendations are not difficult ones for any government to deal with but they have to want to and the people have to force them to."

The PAC members include, for the opposition, Espat, and Musa, and for the government side, Patrick Faber, Tracey Teager, John Saldivar, and Frank Papa Mena. 

Speaking via phone with ranking UDP member, Deputy PM Patrick Faber he told us that after considering the auditor general’s report, the government members had their views.

He said Espat disregarded their views in his report - which they felt they could not endorse.  The government side decided to do its own report.  

He said he told Espat he could not make the meeting today, and that the government members  will meet on Tuesday the 15th after Cabinet to come up with their report.  Faber says he told the clerk today was not a good day and he could not make it.  

Same for Tracy Teager Panton.  Via message, she told us, quote, “…I had previously indicated my availability to attend.  The Chairman is fully aware that we are working on a Majority Report.  For him to suggest that there is a lack of interest on the Government side is disingenuous.â€￾

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