The senator’s bacon
Mark Lizarraga
It was reported last Friday that a shipment of six thousand pounds of bacon, imported by Senator Mark Lizarraga for the Southside Group, had been seized by the Customs and Excise Department for being brought into the country without the required permit from the Belize Agricultural Health Authority. In today’s issue, the government’s mouthpiece went further to report that the consignment had been impounded by government. Late this evening, Senator Lizarraga responded swiftly to the allegations in the Guardian Newspaper saying that it was all a mix-up. Lizarraga says that an application to obtain authorization from BAHA was submitted on March twenty-sixth. Following the request, Southside Distributors went ahead with the purchase of meat pending approval from BAHA. When the shipment arrived last Monday, Lizarraga says that all customs entries were presented to the department and promptly paid. The release of the freight however, was postponed in anticipation of the import permit. A month has since elapsed and Lizarraga says that he still has not been formally notified of the status of the application until he read that the bacon had in fact been confiscated by the government. He contends that the Guardian has embarked on a malicious, defamatory and unjustifiable attack on him through its headline article that was published. Lizarraga and his group of companies are now seeking legal advice to counter the allegations made against him and his business.
I wonder who in the permit process holds a grudge against the senator?
Hahaha!!! you do illegal stuff and you will get caught! You are just like every illegal politician. YOU SUCK!
Oh i talk to the permit guy and he neva get if he share.
do we need to import bacon to belize. so much land , to raise pigs, so much unemployment. this is the same man that talks of government waste and coruption, but he should know better. support local pig farmers. this is the head of Chamber of Commerce at one time and importing this basic stuff undermining tahe local producers, WHAT A SHAME
You have a great point, @where is the bacon. Our agriculture and livestock businesses should be much larger and create more prosperity. Get excessive government regulations and controls out of the way, and let farmers compete and process and export freely, and the nation will prosper..
“Where is the bacon” – there will always be items that our country will never be able to have enough supply of. Especially with such high demand from the tourism sector. Seasonally there is always a need for importation of certain items, the challenge will always be who gets the permits and who does not. And of course the big hustle that takes place in the issuing of permits! Seems to me that the bacon grease was not applied that is why they were not given the permit.