Foreign Company has Shares in Brads?

Godwin Hulse

Earlier in the month, Prime Minister Dean Barrow responded to a letter sent by firebrand activist Geovanni Bracket regarding a proposed contract to automatically renew Brads Gaming Company Limited’s management contract to manage the lottery. In response, PM Barrow told Bracket that the cabinet discussed the matter and rejected automatic renewal of the license.  The PM indicated that the contract will be put to open tender and it is expected that Brads would make a proposal. Brads’ company has been granted the contract since 2009, raking in millions of dollars in administrative fees and taxes for the Government of Belize.  There are now reports that a company registered overseas, but controlled by a highly connected Belizean, holds shares in Brads. The name of the company is Good Lee Limited, an I.B.C. registered in Saint Lucia. Cabinet Minister Godwin Hulse says that (Quote) “lots of contracts around the world and lots of contracts in Belize have foreign shareholders.” (Unquote) 

Godwin Hulse, Senator for Government Business

“There were three applicants at the time. We had screened them thoroughly. One dropped out and at the last hour the other one dropped out so we were only left with Brads so the committee that I was on which was made up of several people, I was at the time Senator for the Business Community and so we after looking at the conditions that were put on the Brads Company to progress with this we were satisfied and recommended to the Government. Of course it was the government that did the final contract. So that is where it ended for me.”

Reporter

“So why such a lucrative contract be with a shareholder under a foreign company?”

Godwin Hulse

“I don’t know. Lots of contracts around the world and lots of contracts in Belize have foreign shareholders and that sort of thing. But as I said, it is going out to tender. That is what I hear and another company may come up with a much better proposal and government may grab it.”