Clarifying Chon Saan – Lee Mark talks to News Five

Back in December, this station, having gleaned information from reliable sources, questioned whether the Government of Belize would pay as much as four million Belize dollars for the Chon Saan Palace Restaurant building in Belmopan. It is owned by the Chang family, whose son Lee Mark Chang is president of the Senate and a former political candidate for the United Democratic Party. The Government is eyeing it as a potential replacement for the Immigration Department, with the sweetener of a two-million Belize-dollar passport machine from the U.S. Government. But during a meeting of the House of Representatives ten days ago, Prime Minister Dean Barrow said that the price that the Changs are seeking is considered excessive, in light of a Government-sponsored valuation that puts the value at about three hundred thousand dollars less than their asking price. As we found out from Chang himself today, though, that asking price is significantly lower than first reported.

Lee Mark Chang

Lee Mark Chang, Manager, Chon Saan Palace

“First of all, that four million dollars – there is no four million dollars’ deal: it didn’t even come up. The asking price for the building is one point six five million dollars, period! We are still in negotiations, and if Government accepts, then we can continue; if it doesn’t accept, then  we just need to look for alternatives, or we just need to move on.  There is checks and balances to do business with the Government. So I have certain procedures to go through before I could do anything with the Government, as I said in my last interview. So I [have] my President of the Senate seat, and I keep that separate from my business. Politics is politics; business is business.”

Chang says he was never telephoned or messaged to confirm the figure by any media house. For the record, News Five can confirm that we did call his restaurant in Belmopan as well as visited the Kelly Street location seeking him on the day the story was reported. As we stated at the time and which he confirmed today, he was out of the country, according to one of his employees.