P.B.L. Fires Off Another Letter to Ombudsman, Investigate Contreras

The Port of Belize Limited has written to Ombudsman Gilbert Swazo for a second time following up on a request made on May twenty-ninth in respect of an investigation into corruption and wrongdoing by Erwin Contreras, the former Minister of Economic Development.  The letter, written by Stewart Howard, a director of the company, provides eight additional reasons for the request, including a release by the Belize Port Authority in which it firmly stated that it was not consulted regarding the proposed legislation that enact the terms in the definitive agreement with Portico.  The Belize Port Authority is on record to say that Portico has not applied for nor been granted a license to construct and operate a private port facility in accordance with the Belize Port Authority Act.  Elsewhere in the letter to the ombudsman, references are made to statements from the Minister of Tourism, the Minister of Sustainable Development and Prime Minister John Briceño.  It also points to the fact that, “the definitive agreements with Harvest Caye and Stake Bank do not grant concessions anywhere close to the extreme, unprecedented concessions in the Port of Magical Belize definitive agreement”.