BTL opens park in Placencia

Their two parks in Belize City–one on each side of the Creek–are popular places for residents who need a place to stretch out and chill. And now BTL has added a third public area to its domain, this time in Placencia. The park, located in the centre of the picturesque village, was built at a cost of seventy-five thousand dollars. Speaking at today’s dedication ceremony were area representative Rodwell Ferguson, village council vice chairman Harald Wallen and BTL’s managing director John Vondras.

In telecommunications news of a more urgent nature, it is unclear tonight what the future holds for BTL. It is understood that Jeffrey Prosser has until Monday to pay off a fifty-seven million U.S. dollar loan from the International Bank of Miami that he took over from the Government of Belize. That money went to pay Michael Ashcroft’s Carlisle Group for their majority shares in the company in a complex transaction that wound up with GOB guaranteeing the loan even after it gave up the shares. With Prosser being squeezed by several multimillion-dollar lawsuits, it is unclear whether he can come up with the money. And with Belmopan out of cash and credit, the call may go out for a financial angel; in this case the very man demonized by the Government in the first place: Michael Ashcroft. Where that would leave Prosser’s deal to buy Intelco is anybody’s guess but one thing is clear: the stakes are getting bigger and Prime Minister Said Musa is holding a weak hand in what looks like a rigged game.