The Portico project has been back in the news this week after developer David Gegg made his second appearance before the Senate Special Select Committee investigating the genesis of the Definitive Agreement.
As has been widely reported, that controversial document was signed a month before the general election in 2020 - but it never got environmental approval.
So, when the PUP were swept into office he tried to have them pick up the project where the UDP left it off. That meant quickly engaging senior government ministers to tell them he already had a signed definitive agreement - which just needed environmental approval.
But his account differs with the Prime Minister - who - in 2023 - seemed to know little to nothing about the Definitive Agreement. Jules Vasquez has the two sides of the story:
Kevin Herrera, Senator
"When the new administration came in was it you who made them aware that this agreement existed or they came to you and said that it..."
David Gegg, Portico Developer
"Yes, I did. I wrote the prime minister and all the other senior ministers and let them know that we had this agreement, that it had been signed with the condition present."
Kevin Herrera, Senator
"So it was in November of 2020 - When do you believe you would have briefed them that this agreement existed?"
David Gegg, Portico Developer
"Probably a week later. I don't remember the exact date, but as soon as it was obvious that they had taken the reigns of Belmopan, I sent them an email with copies of documents I believe."
Janelle Chanona, SSSC - Chair
"Who were those ministers that you sent correspondence to and did you attach the Definitive Agreement to those correspondences?"
David Gegg, Portico Developer
"It would have been the prime minister, senator Coye, senator Mahler and senator Courtenay."
So, Gegg says he sent a copy of the documents- including the Definitive Agreement to those ministers in November of 2020. But two and a half years later- in March of 2023, the Prime Minster said he had not seen it:
posted (March 1, 2023)
John Briceno, Prime Minister
"The definitive agreement - and I have not seen it - was signed by the minister responsible then obviously it is going to be binding because it's the government of Belize that signed it."
Two and a half months later, Briceno's Minister of State Chris Coye took the Cabinet Confidential and draft legislation arising from the binding clauses to the Cabinet where it was rejected.
The hearings resume on May 29th.
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