...Those are the questions that were made famous during Watergate scandal in the United States, and now it's become relevant in Belize after the private registry scandal. So what did the PM know? Well he says he knew there was a private registry. When did he know about the 79-21 revenue sharing agreement? Well, he says he heard about it through the media. But looking deeper into what the Prime Minister said at his 30 minute press briefing in Belmopan on Tuesday, Jules Vasquez found some glaring inconsistencies.
Rt. Hon. Said Musa,
"I was appalled by the terms of the contract."
He was appalled but not enough to force the Prime Minister to publicly reprimand the then Attorney General for signing two 15 year contracts that gave without tender two private companies, privately owned by the Opposition leader's brother, 15 year licenses to collect government revenue while giving the government back only 20% of that, all the while enjoying consular status. As to that concession for consular status, even the man who signed the contract agrees its offensive.
Godfrey Smith, Former Attorney General
"Does it make sense? Perhaps not. Sitting here with you right now I can honestly say to you I am not sure what the role of the consular status would be. Should that exist? I think not."
And its something the Prime Minister did know about because as Minister of Finance he approved a duty concession.
Rt. Hon. Said Musa,
"I was aware that a duty free concession was given, I believe to Mr. Denys Barrow as a principle shareholder in the company, yes."
So even as the PM knew the Registry had been sold to the leader of the Opposition's brother and that it had consular status, even with all this, somehow for no explicable reason he expected to mysteriously get the $2.2 million stamp duty payment right back.
Rt. Hon. Said Musa,
"The clear intention was that the money was simply to be paid and then paid back out to government."
But the PM contradicts himself later in the press conference he said he did know there was a breakdown and that government did not get all the revenue.
Rt. Hon. Said Musa,
"My understanding was that the fees, because it was a management arrangement, that the fees were split."
The fees were split so then how could he ever have expected that.
Rt. Hon. Said Musa,
"They should have been paid in and paid back out."
Truly it is a contradiction that only the Prime Minister can unravel and in this case its one he sense just can't because he can't have it both ways. Either he did know or he didn't and it's clear by his own admission that he did know. Why he is claiming now not to know is a question for the public and for this publicly shamed Minister to figure out.
At that press briefing the Prime Minister confirmed that he will not take away Tourism and Foreign Affairs Minister Godfrey Smith's portfolios, and indeed he was untouched in the shuffle that was announced today.
7NEWS produced for broadcast by News Director Jules Vasquez
Edited and Prepared for the internet by Keith Swift
