P.U.P. Calls for Investigation into Brads Boledo Contract
On Tuesday, the People’s United Party revealed that the Prime Minister’s son Anwar Barrow is likely the owner of Goodlee Limited, the company that holds sixty percent shares in Brads Gaming Company. A ten-year exclusive contract valued at five hundred million dollars was awarded to Brads earlier this year. The P.U.P. says that it has received credible information and has done extensive research about the suspicious contract and it all points to Anwar Barrow as the owner of Goodlee Limited, a company registered in Saint Lucia. The P.U.P. has revealed documents that show financial transactions in large sums of money from Goodlee to Barrow. For some time now, the Opposition has been clamoring for official information and it has now learnt that articles of dissolution for Goodlee have been filed in Saint Lucia. At the press conference, the P.U.P.’s attorney Eamon Courtenay says that dissolution will not prohibit the P.U.P. from digging deeper for answers.
Eamon Courtenay, Attorney for P.U.P.
“We are already in contact with lawyers in Dominica and Saint Lucia who undertake same type of business. As indicated earlier, the attempt now to dissolve Goodlee is not a bar for us to pursuing full disclosure as to who the owners are.”
Hipolito Novelo
“In terms of the Brads contracts and the preposition to choose experts from the Caribbean, is it that there is no one from Belize that can carry out that inquiry?”
Eamon Courtenay
“We or at least I identified a number of pieces of legislation which are all Belizeans legislation. I pointed out that the Financial Intelligence Unit would be called upon. The question was asked about the tax issues, those are all Belizeans who would be dealing with that. However is appointed the Attorney General will obviously will have to take the lead. We pointed out that matters to be handed over to the Director of Public Prosecution. What I said was that we have been in co ntact or we have identified firms from abroad who are expert in carrying out forensic audits that have domestic and international dimensions. You need to get an expert who has experience not only in a single country but to see how things are moving and how to connect the dots to people. It is important that it be done by professionals so that the integrity of the investigation cannot be compromised. That is what I was talking about when we say we are in contact with foreign persons and identifying foreign entities to assist.”
Hipolito Novelo
“Realistically speaking, can or will criminal charges be brought against Prime Minister Dean Barrow?”
Eamon Courtenay
“If we live in a democracy, no one is above the law. If there is evidence as a result of investigation that has been passed to the Director of Public Prosecution and the Director of Public Prosecution says a prosecution is justified then like night follows day the law must be followed. At present we don’t know and that is why we are staring the process of putting in place the persons and experts who can conduct the necessary investigation. Under our constitution the Prime Minister and all of us are innocent until proven guilty. Up to this time we have no direct evidence to show that the Prime Minister is involved in any criminal act in terms of monies. We have none. One needs to conduct an investigation before one can even begin to make such an allegation.”
