For the past 10 days, tension has been building between SATIIM and US Capital Energy: SATIIM says US Capital is digging oil wells without permission on its traditional lands; US Capital says it has all government approvals and SATIIM is trespassing.
Well, the Ministry of Energy says SATIIM is wrong because in its recent ruling, the Court of Appeal refused to uphold the order issued by the former Chief Justice Conteh requiring that Government "abstain from issuing any concessions for resource exploitation." They adds that the court agreed with Government that Conteh erred in law by, quote, "failing to take…notice of the Petroleum Act which vests property in petroleum in the State and of the Sixth Amendment Act which, for avoidance of any doubt, exclusively vests the ownership of petroleum and other minerals in the Government of Belize."
SATIIM executive director Greg Choc could not be reached to comment on this today. He's still not taking our calls after we asked him yesterday if it is true that he is resigning and going away to study law. Tomorrow SATIIM is taking the entire media on a Toledo tour and we hope to speak to him then.
A late update to the story is that Choc just sent us a text message saying he was in a meeting and couldn't take our call. He says he will speak to the press tomorrow.
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