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Daniel Ortiz reporting
The San Antonio Road, which ties Orange Walk town with the villages in the western Sections of the Orange Walk District is a very important roadway.

Hon. John Briceno - Area Rep., Orange Walk Central
"The San Antonio Road borders both constituencies, the Orange Walk Central and the Orange Walk east but it is important to note that the San Antionio Road is a the responsibility of Central Government and the Ministry of Works."

Joel Cervantes - Resident, San Antonio Road
"This is a public road - it is one of the main arteries to all the villages going down to the south of Orange Walk. This is traveled everyday by students, people that come to work, commute to go to Belize City and all over."

There are 2 signs which depict the pleas and the desperation of the area residents to develop it. They say that successive Government Administrations have been negligent.

Norma Carrillo - Resident, San Antonio Road
"I don't know if it's improvement but what they have done is take off the balance of the asphalt that they had and then they started to measure the road and wet it a bit and put some dirt and when the rain came they took it off again and after elections everyone left. I don't know what happened."

Joel Cervantes
"Really and truly to improve it - it hasn't happened. Before we used to have some asphalt on it then little by little they went on grading it and grading it and then they put in some white marl then eventually the entire asphalt was graded off - then we only have white marl and dust. Improvements hasn't been done, ever."

Catalina Azueta - Resident, San Antonio Road
"For as long as I live here in this area no one has ever paid attention to the San Antonio road. We have had the two different parties in power and nobody even cares. The only time they come around here is when they want our votes, besides that San Antonio road is forgotten."

So, imagine their surprise when they learnt that in February of 2012, Imer Hernandez Development Company, was supposedly paid almost $200,000 for a series of 10 contracts listed as #475 to #484.

The value of each contract is less than $20,000 dollars, possibly, as we are told, to not be red-flagged. Any value under that amount can be authorized by senior ranks of the Ministry of Works. Anything over that is scrutinized by the Ministry of Finance.

The problem is no one can remember any works done on the road which would give them that type of value.

Hon. John Briceno
"The people were shocked here in Orange Walk town, myself included - we were floored when we found out that another $179,000 was paid to the very same company just about two weeks before the general elections and that was paid to by the Ministry of Works. I think it is a slap in the face to these residents and to the Belizean people."

Joel Cervantes
"The dust is unbearable and like at my house we cannot open the windows - you live locked up really and truly. If you don't do that then you'll get sick, we have other families and buildings on our side that really can't do better so what do they do? If they open there windows the dust is unbearable, recently what they did they put these bumps here, it might lessen the speeding of the traffic but really and truly done anything."

Norma Carrillo
"The worst it has been it has been from last year when they took off the asphalt that was the worst because the dust that is getting to everyone, not only me. I think I am the one who complains the most because I have my vegetable shop but if you go to any neighbor or any persons this side and ask them and they will tell you what the reality is living this side."

Catalina Azueta
"This place is like living in hell because everyday we have to keep cleaning and cleaning - all day we have to clean. This road the town council sometimes comes in the morning to wet it but since the weather is hot the only you live by everyday is dust."

Ruth Azueta - Resident, San Antonio Road
"We cannot open our houses, it's usually very dusty."

At this moment, these documents that we have in our possession need to be authenticated, but if they are found to be true, then it represents public fleecing and a betrayal of the trust of these people along the San Antonio Road. Norma Carrillo
"And if the money they are saying and if they have the proof that you have that papers that this is paid for already then I think they suppose to get to those persons because that isn't joke. They don't live on this side - they live in 'hi-tech' house and they have AC, they are not feeling what we're feeling this side."

Joel Cervantes
"From the monies paid definitely nothing can be showed that has been paid out."

Ruth Azueta
"Well if that is true I would really be disappointed, of course."

Hon. John Briceno
"I'm calling on Central Government, I'm calling on the Prime Minister that he needs to launch an investigation as to what happened, why is it that even Hernandez Development Company collected almost $229,000 plus dollars for the work on the San Antonio Road for work that was not done. The question is and the people need to know this. Who is the owner of Hernandez Development Company? Imer Hernandez Development Company is owned by Imer Hernandez who is the nephew of the deputy Prime Minister. Now we know that the Prime Minister has a special relation with the deputy Prime Minister and he goes to all lengths to defend the deputy Prime Minister. Now I want to see if the Prime Minister is prepared and willing to call off an investigation because he is the one that has said that he will not tolerate not even a whiff or a smell of corruption in his government."

This evening we reached the Engineer, Graciano Medina, whose name has shown up on all our documents as the oversight authority who certified that they works were done. He told us that he was unable to comment, and that we should contact the CEO in the Ministry of Works.

We then contacted the Ministry of Works in Belmopan, and we were told that the CEO was in office, but he was not the person in charge of those contracts. We were then directed to another public officer who was not available for comment today.

Late this evening, we contacted Imer Hernandez, the contractor who the allegations are against. He told us that he was never paid anything over $50,000 dollars, which is in relation to a contract he got from the Orange Walk Town Council. According to him, he has proof of all the work he did on that contract.

He told us that he was awarded an additional contract for $300,000 which was later cancelled, and he never received any payment for that.

He also promised that he would avail himself for a follow up interview next week, where he would provide his proof of value of the work he did.