Last night we told you about the emergency house meeting that the Barrow Administration had called with just 24 hours notice. Tonight, we know that the purpose of the meeting was to get the House to pass an unusual piece of legislation - with an odd name. It's called "a bill for an act to restate for greater certainty the immunity of the Central Bank of Belize for legal proceedings in other states." Basically, it's designed to protect Belize's reserves from the pair of Ashcroft companies that are trying to recover 50 million US dollars in arbitral awards granted by a US court. Today, when he presented the bill, the Prime Minister said that it had to be done in a hurry and with state secrecy. That's because there were indications that the Ashcroft interests would try so swoop in and freeze the Central Bank reserves before they could be firewalled with this legislation. The PM detailed the race against time:
Rt. Hon. Dean Barrow - Prime Minister
"Last Tuesday those entities filed a motion in the district court in Washington DC. Filed an application to be allowed to enforce those judgments the government of Belize. Nothing so far in the proceedings that have taken place in the United States mentioned the central bank of Belize, but because we know that this country's reserves constitute a big fat inviting target to that predators who would seek to collapse our economy. We believe that once they obtain the order for enforcement of the judgments they will seek to attach the assets, the holdings of the central bank of Belize. If in these circumstances those Ashcroft entities want to go to a judge in the United States and expart basis without knowledge to us and seek an attachment order against the central bank's assets and that judge gave the order. We would of course afterwards have a chance to argue against it and set the order aside but in the meantime the central bank's assets in the states would be frozen. In that sort of context madam speaker this is not a situation in which we can afford to take any chances. This is not something for game playing. This is not an issue that ought to attract the kind of political division that we are used to with respect to almost everything in this country."
"I don't see how any red blooded Belizean will not agree with what they are trying to do here today which I repeat is to secure the objective of absolutely firewalling, putting beyond any doubt of dispute, the sanctity of the reserves, the assets of the central bank of Belize."
"We are saying that anybody who seeks in violation of the bill if it is turned into an act, we have to face 2 things; an application and a part of the central bank or the attorney general to restrain the person from proceeding with any attachment exercise. That's number 1. Number 2, such a person will in doing such an act come conflict with the section of the bill that we wish to pass that criminalizes that sort of an effort and will be liable to arrest and prosecution for that violation of the central bank immunity bill if it becomes law."
"Now of course it does not stop people from abroad from still attempting to do this. we have no way of getting at them, because they are not in this country and perhaps would never come to this country, but in the current circumstances the particular fear that we have is sourced to persons and entities who are within the jurisdiction of Belize and so we are doing all we can by way of this bill to deter such persons from making that sort of effort that I just describe which effort if it were ever to succeed would put this country completely on the brink."
Hon. John Briceno - Leader of the Opposition
"I would have hoped that the prime minister could have given us more time to look at the bill. We just seeing it right now. We would have enough time to study it and to consult with us. I want to place a record of course we want to corporate with the government. But we have not given time, for the prime minister to pass it through 3 stages today, certainly it would not be fair to us to take a good and comprehensive look and probably help him in trying to strengthen if he is missing anything in the bill."
Rt. Hon. Dean Barrow - Prime Minister
"Madam Speaker I apologize the leader of the opposition is right that it is very short notice indeed, but these are the exigencies of the situation. As to the matter of consultation, I apologize Mr. Leader of the opposition, but without wishing to cast any aspersions we don't think that in a matter like this, we can trust some members of the opposition and there is a factual bases for that. One of your key officials, I won't call any names, because this is serious business and it ought not to be about finger pointing or assignment of blame, but one of your key people, you know is the chief local counsel to the Ashcroft concerns. That alone would oblige us, I'm sorry to say, to feel that we could not beforehand consult with you."
Hon. John Briceno - Leader of the Opposition
"I really did this personally that in effect the prime minister saying that I was the leader of the opposition would put the interest of somebody else in party, before I put the interest of this country but you said you don't trust me Mr. Prime Minister. You could have called me. The prime minister could have called me madam speaker."
Rt. Hon. Dean Barrow - Prime Minister
"I mean not to impugn you at all and I spoke about 1 of your officials who is a lawyer, you are not a lawyer. It could never be you sir."
Hon. John Briceno - Leader of the Opposition
"He would only know if you tell me and I tell him."
Rt. Hon. Dean Barrow - Prime Minister
"But you would have an obligation to tell him."
Hon. John Briceno - Leader of the Opposition
"If you tell me if it is something of national interest and that we have to keep it to ourselves then we have to do that and we are both men here representing the country. You love this country as much as I love this country Prime Minister."
Rt. Hon. Dean Barrow - Prime Minister
"Madam Speaker, I will apologies and say that on the next occasion I will consult you. I hope that there's ever another occasion but understand my thinking in terms of my party. I thought this should be top secret but I dare not keep it from cabinet when we met on Tuesday what it was about. I fear that it would get out and it ultimately got out. Channel 7 last night didn't have all the details, but they knew what was happening. If it was just a matter of something between you and me I would have had no doubt that since it concerns the welfare of Belize you could absolutely have been trusted. It was not you sir."
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