The Port of Magical Belize - it's the cruise port project slated for the southern Belize District that has gotten a strong letter of commitment from the Royal Caribbean Cruise Line.
As we told you, lead developer for that project David Gegg has quietly navigated between two governments, first getting an MOU from the UDP in 2017, and then an EIA approved under the PUP in 2021. We also learned last year about a little known "Definitive Agreement" under the UDP, signed one month before the election in October of 2020.
Well, last week a letter emerged on social media, posted by a member of the Feinstein Group. It is written by former Attorney General Mike Peyrefitte in his capacity as former AG and member of the Cabinet Investment Committee during the Barrow Administration.
He says that first, his office had to vet all legal documents signed by the government and he sat on the investment committee which reported to Cabinet. And he writes that at no time did he learn of any "definitive agreement" with the group behind Port of Magical Belize. We spoke to him about his site remarkable letter via Zoom today:
Mike Peyrefitte, Chairman, UDP
"When I heard about a definitive agreement, I've been told that there is one, but I've check with several former cabinet colleagues who recall just like I that it was never brought to cabinet as normally is the case and so I just want to make it clear that if there is one, it didn't come to cabinet and I would like to see it, because so far I haven't seen one. I haven't seen it, so I don't know who signed it, I don't know who put it together, I don't know anything like that. Maybe it doesn't exist, but just in case it does, I just want to make clear that never came to cabinet."
Jules Vasquez
"So, anyone who says that the UDP agreed to and approved a definitive agreement for the Portico investment at that proposed port would be making a mis-representation?"
Mike Peyrefitte, Chairman, UDP
"In my view, yes, because the former Prime Minister Barrow made it very clear that anything coming out of the investment committee had to come to cabinet for final approval."
"I could not recall and I cannot find any cabinet member from then who can recall that such a definitive agreement came to cabinet. We remember the MOU, but not the definitive agreement."
Jules Vasquez
"When I spoke to Mr. Gegg, a few months ago, he said that in fact he had a definitive agreement and that it was signed by the then minister of investment Erwin Contreras."
Mike Peyrefitte, Chairman, UDP
"Like I said, I haven't seen it and I contacted a couple people who I thought would have it and they either claim to not have it or refuse to produce it. So, I have not seen the actual agreement itself and I would think, it's kind of surprising, because then If I have a definitive agreement and I'm running a cruise project and I have a definitive agreement from a government, I would be waiving that around - having that in everybody's face. I can't understand why if it exists it would be a secret."
Jules Vasquez
"You said you spoke to a number of your former colleagues; did you speak to the minister of investment Erwin Contreras who supposedly signed said agreement?"
Mike Peyrefitte, Chairman, UDP
"Well, I won't say who I spoke to. It's just that whoever I spoke to, the people I spoke to who should remember, they all said to me that that did not come to cabinet. But I don't want to accuse anybody of saying anything, I don't want to jump the gun. I want to see the agreement. Let me see it."
We reached out to Port of Magical Belize lead developer David Gegg who told us he'll defer to his attorneys first. He did add though that he believes Peyrefitte has long been sympathetic to the Feinstein Group whose cruise project is Port Coral.
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