Ashcroft: I.C.C. “got exceptional concessions”

The new owners of Belize Telecommunications Ltd. spent their first full day in charge getting acquainted with the company’s staff and operations, but the Belizean public is still in the dark on the details of the deal. The plot thickened today with the release of a statement by Michael Ashcroft that could only be described as bizarre. Ashcroft, who was paid fifty-seven million U.S. dollars by government for his fifty-two and a half percent stake in the hugely profitable company, could not resist the opportunity to deliver a parting shot at the boys in Belmopan who, it seems, no longer wanted him in the picture. Ashcroft, while declining to provide particulars, referred to “an exceptional package of concessions” granted to B.T.L., concessions which would not have been granted had the company remained under Ashcroft’s control. If this claim is true, the purchase of B.T.L. by Jeffrey Prosser’s Innovative Communication Corporation is only the latest instance of government granting special favours to high rollers in the telecommunications industry, be they local or foreign. Although he is a seasoned international player, Mr. Prosser would do well to note the examples of a disgruntled Michael Ashcroft and a struggling Glenn Godfrey of Intelco: the same hand that reaches out with friendly largesse can also deliver a pretty stiff slap.