City Council admits it owes S.S.B. big money
City Hall is admitting that it owes Social Security contributions in contradiction to what Mayor Zenaida Moya told News Five yesterday in respect of over three hundred thousand dollars owed in Social Security contributions. When approached, the mayor was vehement that she signed cheques to the Belize Social Security Board and she was not aware of any debts. But a fax coming out of City Hall from the Director of Financial Services contradicts her statements and admits that City Hall owes Social Security Board a large sum of money and employees of City Hall were aware of it. Here is what she said yesterday.
Marion Ali
“There is an allegation as well that the Council has not paid, I think it’s over three hundred thousand dollars to the Social Security Board on behalf of its employees. Is that true? If so, why?”
Zenaida Moya, Belize City Mayor
“I’m not aware of that. I know I sign cheques to the Social Security Board so I’m not aware of that.”
Marion Ali
“You were never in debt with the—the council has never been in debt to Social Security for employees contributions?”
Zenaida Moya
“I told you, whenever payments are to be made it is the duty of the Finance Department to ensure that those payments are made. I know that I have been signing cheques towards the Social Security Board.”
Marion Ali
“The last one was recently?”
Zenaida Moya
“Yes, very recently.”
Marion Ali
“So the council is not in debt?”
Zenaida Moya
“Again, you can ask any further questions to our Director of Financial Services. But as far as I am aware, I have been signing cheques to go to the Social Security Board.”
Taking the rap, the Director says that since December 2008, officials at City Hall knew about the outstanding debt of three hundred sixty-four thousand three hundred twenty-nine dollars and eighty cents. City Hall intends to clear the debt between December of 2008 and May of 2009. Since January the council has made four payments totaling eighty-eight thousand six hundred eighty-six dollars and seventy-seven cents, leaving a balance of two hundred seventy-five thousand six hundred forty-three dollars and three cents. The council says that all claims filed by employees of the City Council were honored by the Belize Social Security Board.
