Finnegan Says No ‘Bad Faith’ in Boat Borrowing

Minister Saldivar has gone on the offensive on social media saying that he stands behind his decision to use the vessels for his Bandits basketball team. But his colleague Michael Finnegan says it is a misjudgment.

Michael Finnegan

Michael Finnegan, Area Rep., Mesopotamia

“I don’t know if the boat was owned by the Government of Belize or the boat was given to the Government of Belize by the United States or the United States gave instructions that the boat must only be used on the high seas for securing the high seas of drugs. I don’t know exactly what’s the situation, but I guess Mister Saldivar, maybe it was wrong judgment, but I know he is interested in sports. He has basketball, softball, volleyball, football teams. I don’t know what exactly is the situation and what is the U.S. Government’s concern in terms of using the boats that were donated to the Belize government. If he gets permission from the government to use it, I think nothing is wrong with that. Government vehicles are used in cross country race. People come and ask you lend me a government pickup to service A, B or C for cross country race and it is loaned. But remember those vehicles are owned by the government, purchased by the government. The boat in question is the property, I believe, of the United States government given to the government of Belize only to be used on the high seas in connection with drug trafficking. That’s a different area. So it might be bad judgment but I think it was not done in bad faith.”