And while the world's eyes are on Washington, Michael Ashcroft is in Belize. He's been making the rounds and was scheduled to have an informal meeting with the PM today. But as Ashcroft said on Channel 5 which he owns - the investment climate in Belize is not optimal.
Today the PM said he doesn't expect or seek Ashcroft's approval:
Reporter:
"He says that the environment in Belize is not conducive to foreign investment and that the government is a part of that."
John Briceno, Prime Minister
"Should I say it? But on a serious note. Michael Ashcroft has done very well in Belize, exceedingly well and if he wants to take his money elsewhere then he should take it, it doesn't bother us for a moment. Foreign investment in Belize continues to increase. In 2024, we have record foreign investments so it's his decision, it's his money, he could do what he wants with it. I think, I don't know what climate he talks, I think if he wants a climate where we bend over and give him whatever he wants that's not going to happen in Belize. We got into government, we met with him, we negotiated with him hard, I think we a good deal in the  settlement, it is unfortunate that then Prime Minister Barrow chose the route of litigation, cost us hundreds of millions of dollars and I think that I come from a business background and that you negotiate to try to settle, and that's what we did with him. The port was going nowhere because he did not get clearance from the NEAC then he wanted to beat us into submission and took out endless ads and Channel 5 and Channel 7 did very well during that time with all of these ads but that still did not beat us into submission. We are a sovereign nation and we decide what is in the best interest. He has control of that for many years and that port was making between 12 and 14 million dollars every year and that money was supposedly paying some loan somewhere, something, I don't know what was done because when you look at the assets of the port, the conditions of the port, it's deplorable and so his people or him or whoever felt that we're not going to do anything with the port so we're going to force the government to give us what we want. We decided we're going to meet with him and said if you don't want to do the investment because you have an obligation on your license to be able to have a container port not a cruise port so we decided it's in the best interest of this country to sit down with him and buy over the port and that's what we did and now he wants to take his money elsewhere? He's welcomed to do so. he wants to sell out the Belize Bank? He's welcomed to do so, I think people would be happy."
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