Last week we told you about the group of Belizean telecom executives, namely Gaspar Aguilar, Karen Bevans and Roberto Young who have formed a company called Sunrise which proposed a plan, complete with financing to buy over controlling interests in BTL. Well, as we stressed, it's just an idea because the question of who will own BTL continues to be litigated in American and British courtrooms. But in a letter obtained by 7NEWS, the Prime Minister has responded to Sunrise, and gave as enthusiastic a response as he can probably muster under the withering circumstances, those being that the government is in a legal choke hold put on them by Jeff Prosser and Michael Ashcroft.
In the letter, the Prime Minister first seems to warn the Sunrise executives that buying the Carlisle shares for US$57 million might not be quite enough, they may also have to buy Prosser's 28% holding, valued at close to US$30 million. The letter states that, "there should be Belizean ownership....(of government's shares)...as well as other shares that might become available." After that warning, the Prime Minister closes by saying that, "(the Sunrise group) should prepare for the fullest possible participation in BTL, bearing in mind that the final outcome is dependent on complex matters which are not all within the control of government."
"Not within the control of Government," we'll say that's quite an incredible admission, that the government now makes the sheepish public admission that it has lost control of a process which it initiated in November of 2002, for the singular reason of facilitating the rise of Intelco a long ruined proposition that still factors into the current debate, because much of the litigation stems from the question of who will pay for the Intelco mess now carrying a price tag of US$36 million.
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