Tuesday’s Special Sitting of the House of Representatives was crafted for the presentation and passage of what Prime Minister Dean Barrow is calling a validation motion relating to the Petrocaribe monies. As House meetings go, the debate stayed on target on the loan motion, even as the issue of the use of the Petrocaribe millions […]
Leader of the Opposition Francis Fonseca wasn’t buying the PM’s take on the matter, including G.O.B.’s assertion that the P.U.P. in its own time used and abused the Petrocaribe funds without accountability. Fonseca made no apologies for the fact that Petrocaribe came to life under the P.U.P. In fact, he lauded the program, stating that […]
It was a day for spirited repartee, and the Opposition was able to hold its own inside the House, even as thousands cheered and sang and danced in fine political spirit outside. Far from being fazed by the show of U.D.P. fervour and a veritable sea of red, the Opposition made much of the opportunity […]
Earlier we told you about the House debate in which both sides think the Petrocaribe program is a good thing – hundreds of millions worth of a good thing since 2012. To no one’s surprise, the motion was passed by the majority, but not without the Opposition getting in some good shots. Orange Walk Central […]
Member for Cayo South Julius Espat has been a particular thorn in the side of the government. It is his name, as Chairman of the Public Accounts Committee that is affixed to a lawsuit against Prime Minister Dean Barrow. On Tuesday he lashed out at Barrow in particular, revisiting an old wound caused by the […]
The main business of the day was inside the House, where representatives from both sides debated the Petrocaribe Loan Motion of two hundred and twenty-eight million which has grown, at last count, to about two hundred and forty million dollars. Part of the funds, loaned from the Government of Venezuela, has already been spent, but […]
As we said earlier, the Special House meeting, called on the eve of Garifuna Settlement Day, centred around the Petrocaribe monies. The opposition is taking the government to court on it, but today the debate raged inside and outside the House. The ruckus outside could have been heard inside where the debate raged. Predictably, all […]
Minister of Education and Collet Area Representative, Patrick Faber has gone on record to defend the use of the Petrocaribe monies saying accountability of the funds can be seen on the streets. And he repeated that today in the House. For the U.D.P., it’s not about rules or financial regulations; it’s about development. Patrick […]
The Opposition has waged war on the Petrocaribe issue, condemning the government for accessing the funds without going to the House for approval. So it was open season today, and Orange Walk Central Area Representative Briceño came out firing. John Briceño, Area Rep., Orange Walk Central “On April twenty-fifth of 2008, in this honorable […]
Minister of National Security John Saldivar toed the party line today, claiming that because of the Petrocaribe monies, Belmopan has benefitted tremendously. John Saldivar, Area Rep., Belmopan “What you did between 1998 and 2008 is still relevant today because it is the same people that you are trying to recycle and bring back to […]
The firebrand from Cayo South closed off the debate on Petrocaribe today, lambasting G.O.B. for its accessing and spending of the Petrocaribe monies without approval. Espat, as Chairman of the Public Accounts Committee, is named as the claimant in the lawsuit brought against G.O.B. Julius Espat, Chairman, Public Accounts Committee “That authority for such […]
Last week Wednesday, through his attorneys Barrow and Williams, Deputy Gaspar Vega threatened to sue CTV-three in Orange Walk, Love FM and Ramon Cervantes Junior. That threat arose from very serious allegations broadcast on November fifth, as the Cervantes family played a recording of a phone call allegedly made by Manuel Castillo, the man Police […]
The case of Edmond Castro versus the visa scandal whistleblower got underway in February of 2014. In 2013, Castro was accused of facilitating visas for Chinese nationals by Alvarine Burgess. She claimed that she delivered money to Castro, who then sent the paperwork to the Immigration Department to be fast-tracked. Castro sued, and since then […]
The Petrocaribe money is all the rage these days, hundreds of millions of dollars in GOB’s hands to be used specifically for poverty alleviation, human and social development projects. But the Opposition says GOB accessed, and spent that money illegally, since it did not take the loan before the House to seek approval. Additionally, the […]
Attorneys for the Opposition who are dealing with a suit filed against the Prime Minister, say that the loan motion was not taken to the house as required by the Finance and Audit Reform Act. So the Petrocaribe funds have been spent illegally and furthermore there has been no accountability. Minister Faber thinks not saying […]
Deputy Prime Minister Gaspar Vega stands accused of orchestrating a hit on Ramon Cervantes Junior. That very serious allegation was contained in a purported recording of wanted fugitive Manuel ‘El Pelon’ Castillo, who is also believed to have been involved in the murder of Cervantes’ father back in July. The unproved assertion went viral last […]
Cervantes will not apologize nor back down, and neither will Deputy Prime Minister Gaspar Vega. He told the media today that the matter is in the hands of his attorney and that is where it’ll stay. And apart from that, Vega says the situation hasn’t affected his political career in the slightest. Gaspar Vega, […]
While industrial action is contemplated in the north, the People’s United Party is tonight castigating the Barrow administration for dragging its feet on one of the major industries and the lifeblood of the north. According to Party Leader Francis Fonseca, the United Democratic Party government has been slow to intercede in the ongoing dispute. Fonseca […]
The House of Representatives is meeting next Tuesday in a special session where it is expected that the ruling United Democratic Party will be tabling the Petrocaribe loan motion for a second reading. Government is seeking the house’s approval for loans totaling approximately two hundred and forty million dollars from the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela. […]
On Tuesday, we reported that Orange Walk East Area Representative Marco Tulio Mendez had formally announced his resignation from electoral politics. Mendez will not be contesting his seat in the 2017 general elections, having cited medical reasons for his inability to run again. Today, P.U.P. Party Leader Francis Fonseca expressed his disappointment in the recent […]
A massive rally is being organized by the United Democratic Party to coincide with Tuesday’s house meeting. The demonstration to be held at the foot of the Assembly Building is being billed as a show of support for government’s Petrocaribe loan motion which will be presented for a second reading during the special sitting. The […]
Reports circulated last week but tonight there is confirmation – popular P.U.P. Area representative for Orange Walk East, Doctor Marco Tulio Mendez, has decided to step down. He made the announcement this morning at his political office, where he says he will stay in a supporting role for whoever will be the new standard bearer […]
In other political news…A special sitting of the House of Representative is slated for next week Tuesday in the Capital. In an ad aired in this newscast, the U.D.P. called on its supporters to join in a rally at the steps of the national assembly. The government will be taking to the House for a […]
There are two stories coming out of Orange Walk tonight. The first is a serious allegation about who put a hit on Ramon Cervantes Senior. A recording has been broadcast from a man who is a main suspect in the murder but is on the run. We will have all that coming up. But also […]
The People’s United Party has lashed out at government for hundreds of millions of dollars of Petrocaribe funds received from Venezuela, and an unconfirmed amount spent with no official accounting. The crux of the matter is that government never sought the approval of the National Assembly to get the loan from Alba Petrocaribe, much less […]
