Yesterday's action before the Senate Special Select Committee was more memorable for what didn't happen than what did. As we showed you, the Cabinet Secretary and the Minister of State in the Ministry of Finance appeared, made brief statements and then walked out, briefly leaving the social partner senators in stunned silence.
They did this accompanied by and on the advice of their attorney and political colleague, Eamon Courtenay - who's also the Leader of Government Business in the Senate.
We caught up with him outside the High Court as he appeared for another matter - and asked him about the unprecedented events:
Reporter:
"Is that a conflict of interest for you that you are representing these two gentlemen as the Leader of Government Business still?"
Eamon Courtenay, Attorney for S. Leslie, C. Coye
"Why?"
Reporter:
"Because you are representing the government in the Senate, and then you're representing two government officials."
Eamon Courtenay, Attorney for S. Leslie, C. Coye
"Where's the conflict?"
Jules Vasquez
"The seemliness of it, or the unseemliness of it. These are your colleagues and you're appearing in an adversarial position against them. And we know the collegiality of the colleagues in the Senate."
Eamon Courtenay, Attorney for S. Leslie, C. Coye
"I do not understand that there was any adversarial appearance yesterday. These two gentlemen were invited to appear before the Senate. They accepted the invitation. They attended. They gave their statements and indicated that they would not have any further evidence to give. And on the basis of my advice, we left."
Jules Vasquez
"Sir, you have participated in a Senate hearing in 2017. You saw the parade of ministers that went through, substantive questions were asked, led by you. Don't you think that these persons should also be fundamentally answerable for their public actions?"
Eamon Courtenay, Attorney for S. Leslie, C. Coye
"They are fundamentally answerable for their public actions. The issue that we have to pay attention to is what is being inquired into and whether there is any evidence, relevant evidence that the cabinet secretary has to give and whether there's any relevant evidence that Mr. Coye has to give."
"If the Senate Select Committee believes that the position that they have taken is not the correct one, they know what to do. The position is, in my view, speaking for myself, I think that the inquiry needs to be brought to an end. This is costing tens of thousands of dollars of taxpayers money. And it is on a frolic until Mr. Contreras goes before that Senate Select committee. We are wasting public resources. That is my settled opinion, personally."
Reporter:
"Isn't it though, a slap in the face to the Belizean public to have these two individuals walk out of the Senate inquiry? You had Hugo Patt who spent perhaps an hour or more just responding, "I cannot recall". Isn't that at least what the public deserves?"
Eamon Courtenay, Attorney for S. Leslie, C. Coye
"I think that's a charade. I think for you to bring somebody who says, I won't answer a question, and as a person, ten, 15, 20 questions so that the person simply says, I'm not going to answer. I'm not going to answer. It seems to me to be quite a charade, and there is no way that I would advise my client to participate in that."
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