And from Biscayne to Santa Cruz, another land issue arose earlier this month when Mckoy Torres LLP wrote on behalf of Belize Wind Energy Limited to the Commissioner of Lands and Survey about some contracts that reportedly weren't being fulfilled.
The letter states that BWE is the holder of 2,000 acres of land in Santa Cruz Village and that back in December 2020, they were called into a meeting with the government, who expressed interest in acquiring a portion of the land for village expansion in Santa Cruz.
The letter continues, quote, "It was then agreed that BWE would in exchange surrender its existing lease upon the following conditions being met: Minister's Fiat Lease of 100 acres be issued to BWE in Santa Cruz Village, Minister's Fiat Lease of 1,000 acres be issued to BWE in Jenkins Creek, and all expenses relating to the issuance of the new leases and resurvey of the properties would be undertaken by BWE." End quote.
Minister Hyde as well as Minister Rodwell Ferguson agreed to this and the contracts were signed days after. However, over a year later, and, according to BWE, no steps have been taken by the government to issue title to the property to BWE.
The villagers have also reportedly communicated their frustrations with the lack of response by the government on this matter.
Today we asked Minister Hyde about this - and he said that BWE shouldn't have been able to get a lease for 2,000 acres of land to begin with.
Hon. Cordel Hyde, Minister of Natural Resources
"Strictly speaking, nobody should get over 500 acres without National Assembly approval. That was a crooked deal from the get go that they ended up with 2,000 acres, in the burgeoning community in a part of the country where there is a land issue, where a full 1/7th of the country is isolated and exclusively for Maya communal land. 2,000 acres that's a no go from the start, it's something we inherited, but the village is there, and most of the people in the Stann Creek and Toledo Districts, they want access to those land. And so those persons are our focus, we're not about catering for one person for 2,000 acres. It's an illegal process, he shouldn't have gotten it in the first place."
"He got a purchase order before, this was happening before us, he got purchase approval, but he never paid. So those purchase approvals have been canceled, he never paid within three months that he was supposed to make a downpayment to seal the contract, he never did that. If you don't develop a land within a few months, that lease can be canceled. It was just a lease."
The law firm is pressing government take immediate steps to finalise this outstanding matter which would allow their client - BWE - to obtain its title to property as paid for and agreed.
