7 News Belize

Shady San Antonio Road Transactions At A “Frenzied” Time
posted (May 30, 2013)
We also pressed the Prime Minister to speak about the San Antonio Road. You'll recall that's the one we told you about on Friday night, where a contractor was paid to pave the San Antonio Road, but the Road was left unpaved. The PM told the press today that yes, there are standing discrepancies with that contract and the entire conduct of the business.






Hon. Dean Barrow - Prime Minister of Belize
"After I saw the news reports"

Jules Vasquez
"You watch the news Sir?"

Hon. Dean Barrow
"No,No, I was sent the internet version, I wouldn't have said it, I don't want people to feel that I am discriminating against you, but no, I don't watch your news, since you bring it up. But after I saw the internet version I caused the financial secretary to go meet with the CEO in the Ministry of Works.

There is a preliminary report that's been prepared for me; let me tell you where things are and what I am doing to, as it were, forward this matter. There is no doubt that some contracts were signed for work on the San Antonio road; those contracts were cancelled, the financial secretary confirms that the money that have been allocated - his permission was sought for shifting of the funds, instead to do work in the Otro Benque area, which you will be no doubt delighted to learn is in the constituency of the deputy prime minister. I don't know that the financial secretary knew which works were to replace the San Antonio works that had been contracted for but he gave permission for the re-allocation of the funds. Mr. Medina, the district engineer, confirms that his file will contain a note showing that, in fact, the San Antonio road contracts were cancelled and Minister 'Boots' Martinez says he has some handwriting notes that would bear this out, that the monies were used to do these various works in the Otro Benque area. What remains a mystery, is why payments were made, that on the face of them, evidenced that these payments were being done in connection with contracts that are already been cancelled. I haven't spoken to Mr. Medina directly but the reports are that he saying 'well it was a frenzied time, everybody was under pressure' and so that was a mistake.

Now I can't simply leave it there, so the Ministry of Finance is asking for all this to be documented in writing, the Ministry of Works, and, in particular, that official must say this to us, put it on the record and then we go from there. But that is the position; it is still unsatisfactory but certainly not as unsatisfactory as it would have been if in fact there had been no cancellation of the San Antonio road contract and if in fact it would have been as the story, quite properly, on the basis on the then available facts suggested that Imer Hernandez was paid for work on the San Antonio road when in fact, under a contract which he did not perform, which he did not execute."

Home | Archives | Downloads/Podcasts | Advertise | Contact Us

7 News Belize