7 News Belize

UHS: The Anatomy Of A Bad Deal From Beginning to End
posted (November 30, 2017)
And keeping it in the archive, we go back to 2011 - when the judgement from the Privy Council came down. At the time - as now - Said Musa said it vindicated him. in 2011, that gave us a chance to look at the series of state deceptions that went into the Universal debacle - and shows us how - the debt was secretly settled:

October 21, 2011
Rt. Hon. Said Musa

"And as for that case decided in the Privy Council what the case is doing is vindicating my position! That is what the case is doing! Because the court, the Privy Council has ruled that the Loan Note was valid, that there was no need, no violation of the finance and audit act, no need to bring it to the House of Representatives and the loan stands and this government or a future government, unfortunately, will be responsible to pay that debt."

Jules Vasquez reporting
But that wasn't what Francis Fonseca told us in January of 2008 - weeks before the general election:

[January 18th, 2008]
Hon. Francis Fonseca, Attorney General

"We are free from all liability. The government has absolutely no exposure as it relates to that debt. We are free from all liability and the Prime Minister has kept true to his word and his commitment that no taxpayers will be spent in resolving that matter and in paying off that debt. The Belize Bank has been paid, satisfied, and that is the end, in our minds, of that matter."

And that is because by then government had secretly squared away the debt:

[March 12th, 2008]
Hon. Dean Barrow, Prime Minister

"The enormity of what Musa and Fonseca did and Amalia Mai, although I suppose she may be able to resort to the Nuremburg defense, she was just following orders."

Foreign Affairs CEO Amalia Mai in this December 28th letter to the President of Bandes, acknowledged that the US$19 million is for construction and repair of houses and then asked that US$10 million be sent to the Belize Bank's account at the Bank of America in London.

it went into the all swallowing hole of this hospital's debt and the same goes for the Taiwanese funds.

[September 17th, 2007]
Jules Vasquez

"Sir in a week's time the Universal principal payment is due, September 23rd, what will happen on that day?"

Rt. Hon. Said Musa, Former Prime Minister
"We are convinced that the private sector will take up the matter."

Of course that wasn't quite true. What he should have said was five days earlier he had handed these checks, money gifted by the Taiwanese, were handed over to the Belize Bank, US$10 million - $20 million Belize, partial payment for the UHS debt. And then on October the 10th, Musa again misspoke.

[October 10th, 2007]
Jules Vasquez

"The principal for the Belize Bank was due September 24th and I know it was not paid. What is the arrangement?"

Rt. Hon. Said Musa
"We are nearing concluding the matter but they have agreed to an extension. We're looking now at towards the end of October."

Jules Vasquez
"And it is the Belize Health Partners that will take it up and they will pay the full indebtedness?"

Rt. Hon. Said Musa
"Is that the group with Dr. Venny? Yes."

Jules Vasquez
"And they will pay the full indebtedness?"

Rt. Hon. Said Musa
"They are looking to secure the complete financing of the project, yes."

Of course as we now know, that complete financing came actually from public funds secretly paid by the Belizean government.

Hon. Dean Barrow
"The upshot is that the government and people of Belize end up having not even one single solitary share in the facility now owned by Belize Healthcare Partners Group."

And yet, after all that and more, one week ago Said Musa was still insisting on personal vindication:

November 22, 2017
Rt. Hon. Said Musa

"But I feel very fully vindicated today."

Twice vindicated, but the debt, still very unsettled. We'll keep following this story that continues to dominate headlines - more than 10 years after it first made news.

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

7 News Belize