Julius Espat Lays in on Portico’s Definitive Agreement

Julius Espat

Public discourse on the much-talked-about Definitive Agreement continues, amid new developments regarding the controversial document that has since been thrashed by the Briceño administration.  While a number of cabinet ministers have voice their opinions on the dubious agreement, one often outspoken parliamentarian has remained rather silent on the matter.  That’s until we caught up with him earlier today near Armenia.  Julius Espat says he did not attend the cabinet session when Portico’s Definitive Agreement was introduced to his colleagues, but it does not stop him from soundly criticizing the compact between the Government of Belize and Portico.

Julius Espat, Cabinet Minister

“I wasn’t a part of the Cabinet meeting, I was aware of the document.  I did not also receive or I did not see any of the legal opinions.  When I reviewed the document, it’s the worst document I have ever seen.  It is morally wrong, it is ethically wrong and from what I am hearing, it can even be legally wrong.  It’s disgusting, I would put it that way.  Now what does the government do?  That’s more the Ministry of Finance’s turf, if you want to call it, I noh interfere too much, but we are doing a disservice to Belize, I believe, that we did not define a cruise ship policy from the day we were elected.  That has been my stance from day one.  If we would have had a cruise ship policy from day one, we would not be in this situation right now, and we have to have one.  Now it will be scrutinized because you are doing it after the fact and so it becomes more difficult to do.  I just hope that for the benefit of Belize, we do a proper one and not defined for a specific project, but it has to be define in such a way that it is fair and fair to investors.”