Opposition says Minister abused authority on housing loan

In political news the Belize Times today, in a headline story, accused Minister of State Faith Babb of abusing her government position in connection with the construction of her new home at Newtown Barracks. The Times, official organ of the opposition P.U.P., claims that Babb obtained eighty thousand dollars from Taiwanese loan funds earmarked for low-income housing. The paper also alleges that the house was constructed by the Venezuelan company Grupo Milpa which charged only for materials and not for labor. Milpa, according to the Times, has a contract to build low-income houses for Government, and implied that the discount amounted to a quid pro quo for getting the job. In a press release replying to the charges, issued just prior to newstime, the Ministry of Housing stated that Babb indeed applied for and was granted a loan to construct a house in full accordance with Government’s policy of assisting public officers, including ministers, to own their own homes. The release did not reveal the size or terms of the loan, nor did it address the question of Milpa’s role in the construction. It did, however, accuse several former ministers of the opposition party of obtaining as many as three housing loans for themselves under the same program.