Luke Espat ready to fight G.O.B. over Commerce Bight…

On Thursday, News Five reported on developments between Government and businessman Luke Espat over the Commerce Bight Port. Espat operates the Port of Belize Limited and the Commerce Bight Port acquired during the past administration. But that was then and now things are not what they used to be and Espat claims G.O.B. is trying to nationalize the Port and he won’t stand for that. The news to us came in the form of this letter signed by Ports Commissioner, Major Lloyd Jones to the Chief Executive Officer of the Port of Belize Limited, Raineldo Guerrero. The document dated June second, served as a reminder to the Port of Belize that the Minister of Ports, Melvin Hulse, had revoked a lease for the Commerce Bight Port on March nineteenth, 2008. Today Espat granted an interview to News Five about his position on the matter.

Luke Espat, Chairman, Port of Belize Ltd.
“The letter was sent to Mr. Guerrero regarding the fact that government wanted to nationalise the port in Commerce Bight. Of course earlier on in government, the first thing that the Minister of Ports did was to immediately sought to find a way—well, as you know, they have always accused us of not having paid for the port, which I think that has gone to bed now because they have all had the documents and they can prove that we did pay. But the fact of the unilateral actions of government of even thinking they can just go into private sector and assume their business is ludicrous and we of course took it to the court and the court gave us an injunction regarding Commerce Bight. They have no authority if that’s the question you want answered and they can’t do that and they won’t be allowed to do that and we have a legal system. Of course, as you know, the prime minister dealt with this quite squarely. He knows well that that would entail a lot of legal rumbling. What are the commentary? Oh we have not done anything and that’s wrong because what government should be doing, they sold us a facility for a citrus port so what they should do is mandate that the citrus goes to that port and basically we be there to—man this is about jobs.”

Marion Ali
“What has the situation been?”

Luke Espat
“Well they have moved the cargo to Big Creek, which supposed to have been a banana port. They took the fuel to Big Creek.”

Espat says he has spent a lot of money to upgrade the Commerce Bight Port.