Last night you heard the reasons why Senator Eamon Courtenay decided to demit office only three years into the Briceno Administration. However, while he is going back to private practice, the release from the government made it clear that he still retains "Cabinet privileges" - whatever that means - and that he is still responsible for Belize's two cases that are currently before the International Court of Justice.
It's an odd setup in which Courtenay has one foot in the door of the Cabinet and the other foot in his law office, and it has the opposition questioning whether that's even legal.
UDP Senator, Michael Peyrefitte says that, in fact, it goes against the standing orders and that it's a clear conflict of interest. Here's how he put it.
Michael Peyrefitte, UDP Senator
"You know when I heard he was resigning, I said to myself, despite his charming character, I would have to acknowledge that there's a level of competence with the person, so I would have to say as he made his swan song, something objectively good about his talents and abilities. If you're leaving for personal reasons or family reasons, whatever, you just want to go to the private sector, you're in your mid sixties, I can understand that but when I looked at the press release, he's not leaving, he's not leaving at all. He has gone nowhere. And I think he will even come back but how can a person be in private practice and still have Cabinet privileges and what on Earth is Cabinet privileges? And you can only have Cabinet privileges if you are a member of Cabinet, or you are appointed a special advisor with ministerial rank. So how can you operate in the private sector and in the executive of the country when even legal professional rules tells you that you can't?"
"It is a straight conflict of interest and should not be allowed. Sir, you want to leave the public service? You think that you can do a better job that Johnny Briceno and he's your friend and so you can't overthrow him? Well, listen to me, then go into private life and leave cleanly. Because there will be an issue as well with him being Leader of Government Business and not being a minister, because now the Senate will have no ministers and standing orders 21 is very clear, government motions and bills can only be moved by ministers. Now the Senate has no minister, so who will move the government bills and motions? Because you cannot have it both ways, you cannot have it both ways."
Jules Vasquez:
"But isn't that how the UDP had it under Doug Singh from 2008 to 2010 before he became a minister?"
Michael Peyrefitte, UDP Senator
"And you know what, if that's the case, that was wrong too. Bad precedent doesn't make good law, that was wrong too. And according to this government, you're operating on a different premise. You're operating on transparency and all of that and I do not think that he's upset with his government so he's leaving, this is a part of a plan. Because then now you have an individual who will get private sector financial gain with the cover of the executive in the government."
Dough Singh was the UDP's Leader of Government business in the senate from 2008 to 2010 - without being a minister.
And while Peyrefitte is sticking by his theory that this is some convoluted plan cooked up in the Cabinet, is the reason for this setup a much more simpler one - that the government didn't want to look bad announcing that Courtenay was abandoning them. We asked the UDP senator what he thought.
Jules Vasquez:
"But isn't it clear though that they're just trying to soft shoe a resignation, the man resigned and they don't want to say that he walked away from the team, they want to pretend that he will still be involved, but you know, he left."
Michael Peyrefitte, UDP Senator
"But so they're afraid to say that? Listen to me, you're big bad Eamon Courtenay. Upstart, disrespectful, and rude. That's what we come to know you as. Since when are you shy to say, boss, I'm walking away from this, I'm going home to my private practice, there's no problem with that. There's no issue, at least say, you know what, I can't handle this, I resign, I want to go into private practice and lead a private life, there's no problem with that but you can't leave but not leave. You can't want your cake and eat it too but actually he can want it because he's getting it. You cannot tell him that he cannot represent, for example, Port of Belize, he's private practice, yet he was the chief negotiator, according to you for that deal. So there's conflict all over."
"And if you had a three year plan, why didn't you say that from the very beginning? The most important face of the country abroad except for the prime minister, and we didn't know he would only be here for three years? You have a situation where Guatemala has asked to intervene, and so he will meet and lead those cases as what? A senator?"
Jules Vasquez:
"A senator with ministerial rank."
Michael Peyrefitte, UDP Senator
"No, not ministerial rank, Cabinet privileges. No rank, he doesn't have any rank, he's not a minister."
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