When and How Will Corruption be Effectively Address?

John Briceño

The alleged actions of Reynaldo Verde demonstrated that corruption continues to exist within government ministries and department.  In 2013, Prime Minister Dean Barrow famously said that the Lands Department was another hotbed of corruption.  The P.M. says that he would sharpen his machete and wipe out corruption.  Bodies such as the Integrity Commission, the office of the Auditor General and the Public Accounts Committee were created to deal with corruption.  But Opposition Leader John Briceño says that the government controlled body would never be able to effectively address corruption.

John Briceño, Leader of the Opposition

“It has been very clear that politicians are unable to police themselves. Whenever you a body that the government has controlled they are going to protect themselves. Look at the Integrity Commission, in early in 2016 they finally set up a new Integrity Commission. Four about four years there was no Integrity Commission in Belize. And the government finally saw important to appointed a new Integrity Commission. One of the first acts that the Integrity Commission said that they are going to demand from all elected representatives from 2016 going back to 2012. My sources say that when Cabinet heard about it, the ministers rebelled and said that there is no way that they’re going to put in any financial report from 2012. They reversed the decision and said that they are going to started from 2015. That is a clear indication that any organization, office and any group that the government controls would be unable to do an open and transparent investigation into anybody. That is why we need to come up with a new body that is going to  be totally and independent from the government.”