Attorney Arguing Gas Companies Rights Being Breached
Audrey Matura
Matura says she has presented evidence to support her clients’ case – that is, that their constitutional rights have been breached. She says their case shows that the government’s decision to create the monopoly locked out her clients from operating business as they did before.
Audrey Matura, Attorney for Central American LPG Companies
“It is a whole lot of evidence but basically what we are showing is that we are showing a history that our clients were here over thirty years ago. They have established the market here and we are showing there was always the right to import and they have been importing all along. We are showing the documents. And we are showing that under the Constitution they have the right to continue. So, it is a lot of documentation but basically we are just trying to prove to the court that these people had these rights under the Constitution and the way we establish that they have these rights is because we show that they were already enjoying those rights. There were things already there and the way we are saying it has been breached is because when you created the monopoly they are no longer able to do these acts, they are no longer to do business as they did. We have been able to present this evidence. NGC is the sole importer. Who brings in the product determines the price. There is no way two ways about that. If my four clients were bringing their products they would have brought it in at different prices and could have competed. What the government has done and refused to explain to us is that they have refused to define what is wholesale; they say the prices are fixed but the S.I doesn’t say it is fixed. They keep raising prices but they don’t tell us on what basis these price increases are because many times the international prices are not increased so I don’t know how they can say NGC is not a part of the market. You cannot buy from anyone else except NGC.”
The matter goes back to trial on the eight of July.
