Chalillo civil suit continues in Supreme Court

Proceedings in the case of BACONGO versus the Government of Belize and BECOL continued in the Supreme Court today. This afternoon, Lois Young Barrow, one of the plaintiff’s attorneys, presented her summation before Chief Justice Abdulai Conteh. Young-Barrow argued that breeches, both factual and procedural, concerning the environmental impact assessment done on the Chalillo Hydro Project rendered the approved by the National Environmental Appraisal Committee void. She went on to ask the court to quash that November ninth decision. Representing NEAC and the Department of the Environment in court today was attorney Denys Barrow. Barrow submitted to the court an overview of the regulations governing the environmental approval process and maintained that NEAC is simply an advisory body, not a decision-maker. As to possible breeches, Barrow contends the E.I.A. was adequate because it highlighted the need for additional research so that the D.O.E. could then make an informed decision. The proceedings continue beginning Thursday morning at nine-thirty.