Will Janae Matute Receive Settlement from G.O.B.? P.M. Comments
Janae Matute
And while the government is quite willing to assume the role of ‘malpago’ where the Ashcroft Group is concerned, it’s taking a lot of heat where a long delayed payment for Janae Matute is concerned. Janae is the inspirational young second form student who was born with cerebral palsy, attributed to medical error. Way back in April, the Caribbean Court of Justice ruled that government was liable for payment of two point five million, but it hasn’t happened. Janae’s mother Georgia claims that it’s not for lack of trying, but now the media has likely accomplished what she couldn’t on her own. After the story ran Monday night, it appears that Janae will get her compensation. At least that’s the commitment of the PM, who says that pay they must…and pay they will.
Dean Barrow
Prime Minister Dean Barrow
“I saw something on that some months ago, and I think what I saw was a notification that in fact the award had been confirmed, or that the bulk of it had been confirmed. And indeed as I recollect, I don’t think it was just for purposes of information. I think I was required to agree that instalment payments should be negotiated and I seem to recollect having done that. There was a whole argument as to whether the doctor was really a servant of the government of Belize but the court has decided so we have to pay the money. You can’t…it does go hard against us but it goes even harder against the poor child and the family. So I will now try to find out why it is that there has been no movement with respect to the negotiation of the instalment payment. I see that Mr. Lumor has said he is perfectly inclined, even though he said that would have to be approved by the Supreme Court, but whatever needs to be done let’s get it done man so these people can start being compensated as they should be.”
We’ll keep following this story, and hope that when we report next, it’s to tell you that Janae’s family has started receiving money which they need for her care and treatment.
