Shoman takes up gold plated post in London

Belize may be experiencing the gravest financial crisis in its history … but don’t tell that to the folks in the diplomatic corps. News Five has learned that Assad Shoman, former Foreign Minister and currently holding the title of Ambassador with Ministerial rank, has a new assignment. As of September first he has apparently taken up residence in London–not as High Commissioner since we already have one there in the person of Lawrence Sylvestre–but as some kind of special negotiator. Exactly what he is negotiating is not clear since the only dispute we know about is with Guatemala, not England. What we do know, however, is that he is being paid the sum of four thousand pounds per month. At today’s rate of exchange that amounts to around one hundred eighty thousand Belize dollars per year. But wait, it gets better. Shoman also gets a free house in the British capital as well as health insurance for himself, his wife and child. All his taxpayer financed travel is specified to be business class, and while he’s roughing it on the road the roving ambassador will receive a bonus of one hundred fifty pounds–that’s a little over five hundred and sixty Belize dollars–per day. To put it in perspective, ministers of government while travelling, receive a per diem of sixty U.S. dollars. We tried to get an explanation of what this is all about but both the Foreign Minister and his C.E.O. are out of the country … as is the Prime Minister. We finally tried the Government Press Office … which, under the new leadership of Nuri Muhammad, was most helpful. According to Muhammad, Shoman is indeed posted in London, where he has been hired as an independent contractor to “give advice in the area of foreign policy issues.”