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Government Moving Ahead Slowly With Pitts/Vega Suits
posted (February 23, 2018)
Tonight we have an update on the ongoing lawsuit against Andre Vega and Sharon Pitts. The Government had sued them both in an attempt to recover $800,000 in public funds which the Ministry of Natural Resources paid them in compensation for a series of dubious land transactions.

They were wrongly compensated for private land which the government sold them - supposedly in error.

Now, you'll remember that the way this particular "come-up" works is that once the Government attempts to sell private land to a second buyer, that person is "compensated" for the "mix-up".

That's what happened in September 2015. The Natural Resources Ministry, headed by Gaspar Vega, paid his son, Andre, $400,000. But, before that, they also "sold" this private land to Sharon Pitts, and in December 2015, she also got $400,000 in compensation.

When the scandal became public, Gaspar Vega resigned from the Cabinet, and Prime Minister Barrow asserted that the Government would attempt to recover the nearly 1 million dollars.

So far, the Government's lawsuit has been slowly making its way through the court process and it is still at the case management phase. Yesterday, we asked the Sol Gen about those cases against Andre Vega and Sharon Pitts, and here's what he told us:

Nigel Hawke, Solicitor General
"The attorney General against Sharon Pitts, that matter came before the court yesterday for case management before her ladyship Madam Justice Arana. I think what Mr. Hubert Elrington Senior Council appears for the defendant in that matter, indicated that there's a provision in the agreement which requires some level of conflict resolution and the proposal was for the matter to go to mediation. We're going to try to mediate to see if we can arrive at amicable resolution in that matter."

Reporter
"Is there a timeline set for that mediation?"

Nigel Hawke, Solicitor General
"In accordance to the rules, there are 45 days in which we have now to select a mediator on both sides with consent and then we propose date where we can meet for the mediation."

Reporter
"What about the matter with Andre Vega?"

Nigel Hawke, Solicitor General
"The matter of Andre Vega is before Justice Courtney Abel and that is at the stage also of case management. We've not progressed in the relation of that one as yet."

Reporter
"Would you reject this interpretation that mediation of this particular case is somehow softening the blow or wrapping the defendants on the knuckles, when the situation is that the government ought not to have sold these parcels of land because they were already private?"

Nigel Hawke, Solicitor General
"Remember we as the government are trying to recoup the money that would have been paid. In a mediation process we have to get a fair chance. I don't want to preempt anything but the idea of going to mediation is that the parties are saying they are willing to sit down and see if they can arrive at a supplement. I don't think it's a knock on anyone if you're able to settle a matter without going to a adjudication as it were if we are supposed to arrive at a settlement, the tax payers will still be at least recompensed depending on what we arrive in terms of figures, in terms of a settlement."

Reporter
"Settlement would not necessarily mean getting back the entire the amount, it could mean working out...?"

Nigel Hawke, Solicitor General
"It could mean getting back the entire amount. It could mean getting back less, we don't know, we don't want to preempt."

And in other news from the Attorney General's Ministry, the Government is reporting that there is a slight delay in the process to implement the United Nations Convention against Corruption known as UNCAC.

Belize was waiting on governmental experts from Haiti and Tuvalu to come here and examine Belize's systems to ensure that UNCAC is being implemented correctly. But - the experts from Tuvalu were unable to acquire the necessary travel documents. So, the visit which was scheduled for next week has been pushed back to mid-July.

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