Future unclear for D.F.C. report
Tonight co-chair of the Commission of Inquiry investigating the Development Finance Corporation, Merlene Bailey-Martinez, finds herself in unchartered waters. Following the submission of an independent report by co-chair Herbert Lord to Prime Minister Said Musa, Bailey-Martinez has been trying to figure out her next move. Via telephone this afternoon, she was still hopeful that the Lord report would not be accepted and that a joint set of findings and recommendations could be submitted to the P.M. But between Lord’s hectic judicial schedule and his claim that Bailey Martinez has been dragging her feet on finalising a report, those hopes are little more than wishful thinking. That leaves Bailey-Martinez in limbo because she can’t convene a commission hearing on her own and even if she did it is uncertain whether anyone summoned would show up for questioning. Bailey-Martinez also expressed serious concerns that no one in the D.F.C. has thus far been able to conclusively recount the details of the Universal Health Services guarantee and the Novelo loans. She told us today that she had no hard feelings about recent developments and that the Commission’s work was bigger than any single commissioner. Justice Lord’s actions, she said, “have put the Commission in a difficult position. … I see it as a way of diminishing the impact of the commission.” According to Bailey-Martinez, she has asked for a meeting of the Commission, but so far has received no response from Lord. As for the letter that she sent to the Prime Minister’s Office, Bailey-Martinez could not explain why it was not received as she maintains that she personally saw the secretariat’s messenger walk into the Administration building in Belmopan. Cabinet Secretary Bobby Leslie has denied that any letter from Bailey-Martinez to the P.M. has been received. As for the accusations that the release of the commission’s report was being timed to upcoming elections, Bailey-Martinez declined to speculate on the actions of others but for her part, flatly denied the charges.
