CJ Benjamin Stalls on Petrocaribe Ruling

Chief Justice Kenneth Benjamin is yet to render a decision where a claim against the Government of Belize, in respect of the Petrocaribe fund, is concerned.  That judgment was to have been handed down on January twentieth, but the CJ took ill last week and the matter was postponed.  Chief Justice Benjamin attended the celebration of the Chinese New Year over the weekend and has since returned to office, but a decision in the suit brought by the People’s United Party is still very much up in the air.  This afternoon, we asked Attorney General Michael Peyrefitte for a response on the delay.  He says that while the AG’s Ministry cannot compel the court to make a ruling, all parties are anticipating the outcome of the trial.

Michael Peyrefitte

Michael Peyrefitte, Attorney General

“Well we got information that the matter was set for a decision last week.  When we turned up the marshal indicated to us that the Chief Justice would not be coming in that day and would be sick and would probably not be returning to office until today, Monday.  So, like everybody else we were expecting that once he came back from his illness he would just simply read the decision today or whenever he would be free.  But all we were told is that it has been postponed indefinitely.  We don’t know when he will give a new date for the announcement of his decision, it could be tomorrow, it could be the next day.  We don’t know.  So like everybody else, we have to wait and see.  We can’t instruct the court when to decide, so we just have to wait.”