Court gives mixed ruling to printers
The Printers Association was caught off-guard today in the Supreme Court in their fight to have the Government fully disclose all documents relating to the privatization of the Printing Department and a subsequent contract it entered into with the new company, Print Belize. Appearing before Justice Denys Barrow, Solicitor General Elson Kaseke informed the court that the Government of Belize cannot disclose the asset sale contract because G.O.B. did not sell the Printing Department. According to a written affidavit submitted by Financial Secretary Hugh McSweeney, the assets of the Printing Department were transferred to the Development Finance Corporation and that body in turn transferred ownership to Print Belize. When the Printers Association realized that the rug was pulled from under their feet, their attorney Lois Young Barrow made an application to include D.F.C. in the suit, but Justice Barrow dismissed the application. But all was not lost for the Printers Association, as Justice Barrow ordered the printing service contract to be turned over to him for inspection with the possibility of public release. Member of the Association, Deacon Cal Cathers of B.R.C. Printing, says while they are disappointed about the first half of the case, they are hopeful that production and eventual publication of the contract will vindicate their efforts.
Deacon Cal Cathers, Member, Printers Association
“Basically, we’re very pleased. You know we’ve got one step at a time to take. And today the court ruled that the government should turn over the printing services contract to the court for them to look at it and make sure that there is nothing that will hurt the government in there.”
Patrick Jones
“Are you satisfied with the outcome of the case so far?”
Deacon Cal Cathers
“So far yes very good. We so far have not been able to get the documents on the sale of the printery and its value. I sincerely hope that our lawyer can be able to convince the judge that that can be done. How its going to happen we don?t know, but we hope that that will be done.”
Patrick Jones
“Would you categorize it then as your case falling apart so far as the government has stated in court that they in fact did not sell the Printing Department?”
Deacon Cal Cathers
“Did the public know that they did not sell the Printing Department? The Printing Department was transferred, the ownership of it was transferred to D.F.C. and D.F.C. actually sold it and that is where because we did not know that, we did not put that into our appeal to the government and now we have to rewrite that. Whether the courts will accept our rewriting it, I don’t know.”
According to the Solicitor General, the court order for G.O.B. to surrender the printing services contract raises “serious public law issues” and that government will study Barrow’s ruling and seriously consider appealing. G.O.B. has twenty-one days to make up its mind. In the interim, Kaseke told News 5 that the court’s judgement has been suspended pending the twenty-one-day appeal period. The Printer’s Association claims that the sale of the government printery and subsequent exclusive contract for government printing is unfair to the nation’s other privately owned printeries.
