Controversial Contractor Praised by PM…

Imer Hernandez

And while Doctor Errol Elrington’s fugitive status isn’t the government’s concern, the controversies surrounding nephew of the Deputy Prime Minister, Imer Hernandez, aren’t either. Hernandez is a contractor of choice, awarded millions of dollars for contracts across the country including the Belmopan market and the Orange Walk road and drainage project. Hernandez, the nephew of Gaspar Vega, came under scrutiny in 2013 when it was reported that he had been paid by government to pave the San Antonio Road in Orange Walk, but never did the work. The PM remembers the situation, but said it was just a mix-up, and that controversy won’t affect Hernandez’s status.

Prime Minister Dean Barrow

Dean Barrow

“There was another problem with a suggestion that government had paid some money in terms of works to be done which weren’t done. We had…I can’t recollect the details but after we got the facts from the Ministry of Works we had in fact done a detailed release or there was a detailed conversation with the media about what had happened, and suffice it to say there was no question of Imer Hernandez having gotten money from government for work that was not done. There was some mix-up about where the work was done, but that was sorted out, perhaps not to everybody’s satisfaction. Imer Hernandez since that time has had several contracts and it is very clear that he does very good work and that the public gets value for money in respect of the contracts we have given…in terms of the Municipal Airstrip in Belize City, in terms of the works at the Northern Border…and he won that contract, this was international bidding under the aegis of CABEI or one of these multi-lateral agencies. There are no complaints about performance where Imer Hernandez is concerned, so the controversies of the past will not stop us from giving this gentleman, once he continues to perform, contracts to do work for the government of Belize.”

For some clarity we note that investigations showed that Hernandez was paid to pave the San Antonio Road, but was instead diverted to another street – that on which his uncle, the Deputy Prime Minister, allegedly resides.