UDP sold land cheap to supporters
Less than a month ago News Five broke the story of South Silk Caye. This pristine white sand island in a newly created marine reserve had been sold by Government to a well connected buyer for a tiny fraction of its market value…all in defiance of an official policy forbidding the sale of government owned cayes. At that time we promised viewers that News Five would continue our investigation into the sale of government land under both PUP and UDP governments. Tonight we bring you some results of our research…and I am sad to report that the news isn’t pretty. A search of public records over the last decade reveals that time and again the same names appear, as purchasers of prime resort lands on the coast, cayes and Mountain Pine Ridge–and always at prices ranging from one-fifth to one-fiftieth of their market value. While in the ten-year period under study both political parties have abused the system, the most audacious instance of partisan misappropriation of public land occurred in the waning days of the UDP administration during 1997 and 1998. And while the granting of house lots to prospective voters is an accepted part of the political scene, what Eduardo “Dito” Juan did during his term as Minister of National Resources goes far beyond routine politics. As News Five’s Janelle Chanona will describe in detail, he chose one particular family and blessed its members with dozens of prime parcels in Belize’s most desirable tourism areas. That family is the Monteros of Cayo.
Janelle Chanona
“Miguel Montero was a trusted political advisor to Minister Dito Juan. Apparently his service to Ministry, government and nation were extraordinary because beginning in late 1997 up until the eve of the August 1998 elections, Miguel and his extended family were allowed to purchase the crème de la crème of public land at rock bottom prices.”
Miguel purchased four separate parcels of land including three acres on Bannister Bogue Caye near Belize City, fourteen acres on Ambergris Caye and twenty acres in the Privassion enclave in the Mountain Pine Ridge. The Pine Ridge land is believed to be in the vicinity of Blancaneaux Lodge. In all cases the prices paid, particularly for the Ambergris Caye lands, amounted to a giveaway.
Other family members did even better. Brother Rene Jaime Montero, for example, in addition to the caye and Pine Ridge properties, purchased a five hundred acre parcel in Cayo. Rolando Montero bought three acres on Bannister Bogue Caye, eight on Ambergris and twenty in Pine Ridge. Another brother, Alejandro, received nine acres north of San Pedro and ten along Privassion Creek. Ismael Montero took four on Ambergris, ten at Privassion.
And the Montero women were not left out if the action. While Yvette laid claim to only one acre on Bannister, she took seven at San Pedro and ten at Privassion. Roseanne apparently didn’t like the sea and preferred only ten acres of Mountain Pine Ridge…while Maria Del Carmen opted for five acres each at Privassion and Ambergris Caye. Yamira Habet maiden name Montero bought six acres at San Pedro. Dr. Elenita Usher nee Montero wound up with a sampling of surf and turf from what was beginning to look like three family estates. Lynette Montero Habet, bought only three acres at Bannister Bogue, but husband Salvador wound up with an additional eight acres on Ambergris and eighteen at Privassion. Another husband and wife team did well as Cieda Mariela Montero received parcels at San Pedro and Privassion, while husband Jabib Dacah added to the family holdings with a total of fourteen acres north of San Pedro.
And finally although Minister “Dito” Juan was not a Montero, he must have liked their company because he also managed to keep a few choice pieces for himself–four to be exact, in the usual places, with one more thrown in for his common law wife, Edith.
Janelle Chanona
“When I spoke to Dito Juan today and asked him why one family was blessed with so much government land, he explained that they applied just like any other citizen. And while he admitted to signing the papers in his capacity as Minister of Natural Resources, he denied any political involvement in the sales. I tried to ask additional questions but he hung the phone before I could continue. Reporting for News Five, I am Janelle Chanona.”
The story of “Dito” Juan and the good luck of the Montero family may be the most eyecatching example of government abuse, but it is by no means an isolated incident. Our research reveals the names of dozens of familiar personalities who have benefited from what appear to be insider land deals. Many other purchasers, however, are sincere Belizean developers who paid significant sums for government land and then invested much more to build successful farms, resorts or other business which have helped to increase employment and expand the economy. It is these people, who played by the rules, who should feel most betrayed by those who didn’t. And what about the vast majority of citizens, who would love to own a nice piece of land on the cayes or Mountain Pine Ridge? Not only will they likely be left empty handed, but they may even wind up paying for land they’ll never own. Much of the land awarded to the Montero family, for example, was subsequently acquired by the PUP government to be returned to the national patrimony. Under the law, however, those acquired lands must be paid for–not at the price paid to government, but at fair market value–which means that the original purchasers will reap a windfall profit, while taxpayers may one day wake up with a very expensive headache.
