Senator Courtenay Offers Clarity on COVID19 World Bank Loan

Eamon Courtenay

In response to the objections, as well as the concern raised, Senator Courtenay noted that the monies spent were utilized at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic when medical equipment, supplies and vaccines were in high demand. He further explained that those monies were spent with authorization from the World Bank, and that all contracts entered into in the procurement of these items have been put before the Contractor General for approval.

Eamon Courtenay, Senator for Government Business

“I regret the response from the Senators side opposite. First of all, it is absolutely amazing that there are first of all imputations, suggestions, that things may have been misspent, that there is no accountability and transparency. I said, and I have been misquoted. I said, this is money that was sought from the World Bank at the height of the COVID pandemic. The Government of Belize with the permission of the World Bank spent money while this loan was being processed. Most of this money, I said, will be reimbursing government for expenditure that was authorized and secondly for increasing the awareness program. That is what I said. Senator Pitts was in this honorable Senate and debated more than one motion, supplementary expenditure; you will recall Madam President supplementary expenditures specifically for COVID. Now, we hear that they object to the fact that government bought vaccines. Six hundred plus Belizeans have died and we come here pretending to be patriots, suggesting that when we were in a worldwide pandemic, when vaccines were unavailable, when they failed to procure vaccine through diplomatic efforts, when we came to power and we secured more than half a million through our efforts, let them put on record how many they got. Now, we are hearing criticism about vaccines being expired. We can make a decision and have mandatory vaccination. They won’t expire. Who will be the first to shout and scream if government announced that vaccination would be mandatory in this country?”