7 News Belize

Briceno has Coastal Concerns
posted (February 26, 2020)
Two days ago we showed you the groundbreaking for the commencement of the 130 million dollar Coastal Road Project. We diligently asked the funders from the Caribbean Development Bank and the United Kingdom Caribbean Infrastructure Partnership Fund if they really had no issue with controversial contractor Imer Hernandez. He is one of the two parties in the consortium that got the two lots of the contract which add vip to 132 million dollars. Both the principals of the CDB an the UKCIF told us they had no objection and that the consortium had met all their standards.

Well, the leader of the opposition does have a problem, more than one, actually. And he has written to the Chairman of the CDB Board of Governors and the British High Commissioner to caution them.

He points out that the Finance and Audit Reform Act requires that the Contract for this Project be taken to the National Assembly within thirty days of its execution. Briceno notes that the contract was signed on the second December 2019 and has still not been tabled in the National Assembly.

He also points out that the contract was not perused by the Contractor General because there was none in office.

In his letter to the CDB Briceno sternly concludes, quote, "neither of these oversight functions can be waived by the Government or the CDB. Consequently, the Opposition takes strong objection to the manner in which this Contract has been granted in flagrant violation of law. We further reject the assertion by CDB project director Daniel Best that the award of this Contract meets international best practice. You should be in no doubt whatsoever, that the Opposition does not regard this Contract as awarded in accordance with law…I regard the CDB now as a willing and knowing participant in the continued flouting of applicable Belizean laws."

In his letter to the British High Commissioner, he says "I call on you to provide to me, as a matter of urgency, written evidence to show that the United Kingdom Infrastructure Fund has ensured that all applicable laws in Belize have been complied with in respect of this Project."

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