Senator Shoman says P.M. closed-mouthed on BIL

Lisa Shoman

The Government of Belize’s Special Purpose Vehicle, Belize Infrastructure Limited, or BIL, has been receiving a lot of attention and little of it is good. The company, a private/public mix which will be in charge of sixty million dollars for projects including the Belize City Center, is said to be a for-profit organization, with directors set to receive undisclosed remuneration, salaries and perks. The unions have expressed concern about BIL being used to foster corruption, while the Opposition has stated that the special purpose for which this vehicle has been created is hustling. Today Opposition Senator Lisa Shoman told News Five that Prime Minister Dean Barrow has been uncharacteristically close-mouthed about BIL, and she wonders why.

Lisa Shoman, P.U.P. Senator

“There are no much details on it other than what was said in the Prime Minister’s Budget Presentation which is that this special purpose vehicle is a wholly owned private company which is owned by the government of Belize and which will have certain very important Belizeans acting as directors. It is supposed to apparently turn a profit and pay dividends to these people. But the question is what is that supposed to do? It’s supposed to buy goods and services for the government of Belize, but yet there are no rules in place to see how that will work. And the problem really is how will this vehicle will be used to acquire, from whom will it acquire and for what price? The point I was making in my presentation was at one point the pentagon in United States used to pay nine hundred dollars for a toilet seat. I mean is that the kind of purchasing that we are going to be looking at? And the Chamber of Commerce has said that they have very deep concerns. Why is it that this special interest vehicle is being put up? I am hearing rumors that it is apparently at the request of an IFI—one of the international financial institutions—and it is a precondition for getting a project. And if that is so, why is that so? Is it because there is such a problem with corruption within the government that the IDB, IMF or whoever it is is demanding the formation of a private company? And how will the directors and shareholders be responsible to the taxpayers of Belize? Is the vehicle going to be used to get around the fiscal regulations of the country? That can’t be. And we really have to be careful that this isn’t the Trojan horse to allow for corruption to occur or to allow for government to be in direct competition with the private sector.”

Shoman confirmed that the only information the Opposition has received regarding BIL and its special directors is from its own investigation into the special purpose vehicle, and not from official sources.