Petrocaribe Loan Motion up for Second Reading

Francis Fonseca

The House of Representatives is meeting next Tuesday in a special session where it is expected that the ruling United Democratic Party will be tabling the Petrocaribe loan motion for a second reading.  Government is seeking the house’s approval for loans totaling approximately two hundred and forty million dollars from the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela.  An estimated twenty-five percent of those monies, roughly sixty million dollars, has already been spent and the Barrow administration is under siege by the People’s United Party for failing to account for the expenditure.  A lawsuit against government was recently filed by P.U.P. Deputy Leader Julius Espat, chairman of the Public Accounts Committee.  Today, Leader of the Opposition Francis Fonseca commented briefly on the Petrocaribe issue.

Francis Fonseca, P.U.P. Party Leader

“We have made it very clear that we believe that this entire loan motion is illegal, unconstitutional.  Our Deputy Party Leader Julius Espat who is also the chairman of the Public Accounts Committee has filed this claim seeking certain specific declarations.  We want answers for and on behalf of the Belizean people, that is our responsibility as the opposition.  These monies were borrowed without proper authorization; they have been spent without any proper accountability.  So we have an obligation, we have a duty and an obligation to demand answers on behalf of the Belizean people and if that means going to court to get those answers then that is what we will do.”