Getting to Bottom of Civic Agreement

As we have reported, there are questions surrounding what has been described as a guarantee between the Government and the new managers of the Belize Civic Center, Apex Events Services Limited. It involves about a million dollars in expenses to maintain the multi-million dollar facility. This was brought up today in the Senate debate by Senator Eamon Courtenay, who wrote to the Financial Secretary Joseph Waight because when it was announced, the guarantee had not received House approval. Waight’s response is that no such guarantee exists and a copy of the contract with the company is not available. Courtenay sounded the alarm during today’s proceedings.

Eamon Courtenay

Eamon Courtenay, P.U.P. Senator

“Up to today, despite repeated requests – the last time, the Attorney General said just ask – repeated requests to Belize Infrastructure Limited, repeated requests to the Ministry of Finance, we have been unable to get a copy of the agreement. The Attorney General is saying we should ask him; the Fin Sec should ask you, because the Fin Sec said he doesn’t have a copy; he wants one. We have been publicly told, Mr. President, that there is a guarantee; we have asked for the guarantee, we cannot get a copy of the guarantee. But the Financial Secretary says there is no guarantee; so what is the true picture? What is the arrangement? What is the deal? Mr. President, that facility has cost tens of millions of dollars; and the Belizean people are entitled to know the arrangement that has been entered into for the management of that facility. And we want that information, and we will continue until we get it.”