Eamon Goes In on PM Barrow for “Won’t Pay, Can’t Pay” Remark
Eamon Courtenay
The government now finds itself on the hook for as much as ninety million Belize dollars, plus interest which has accrued on that quantum since 2013. On Friday, Prime Minister Dean Barrow boldly declared, following the sitting of the House of Representatives, that government will not and cannot pay the damages being sought in respect of the IMMARBE acquisition. That preempting of the decision of the C.C.J. is being condemned by Courtenay as disrespectful and contemptible.
Isani Cayetano
“You were initially seeking damages of forty-five million [U.S.] dollars based on the appropriation of the company by the Government of Belize. Is there an additional quantum being sought? Will there be a recalculation of the existing damages?”
Eamon Courtenay, Attorney for B.I.S.L.
“Right, the Belize International Services Ltd. hired an expert or an accounting firm which prepared expert reports and valued the seven-year loss of profits at forty-five million U.S. dollars. The government took the position that they were not required to pay any money at all to Belize International Services Ltd. and said that they should get zero. However, during the trial, the government hired and expert, Dr. Richard Hearn, who then filed a supplemental expert report saying that if he is wrong that it is zero, then he says that it will be twenty-four million U.S. dollars. So when it comes to the assessment of damages, it will be our position that the minimum that Belize International Services is entitled to is the twenty-four million that government says it is valued and the maximum would be the forty-five million, plus interest and expenses that would have accrued on that amount.”
Isani Cayetano
“Now you’ve put forward before the C.C.J. earlier that based on the prime minister’s comments last Friday that there is the very real possibility or likelihood that government will not make any attempt to cover this particular monies that is now owed to your client in damages. Can you expand on that a bit?”
Eamon Courtenay
“I think it’s regrettable, I mean quite frankly, here you have a prime minister that even before we knew what the result was, went public and said that, “I won’t and can’t pay.” That is disrespect, it is contempt, it is an ignorance that is born out of his arrogance.”
