And while the introduction of the GST bill was the biggest news of the day, the real political pyrotechnics were saved for the amendment to the Patents Act and Companies Registry Acts. That bill is designed to put the government back in charge of the private registry and the patents registry. It's legislation that was forced after the media revealed the scandal of government paying $2.2 million in tax to the private companies register for Michael Ashcroft and then getting back only 20% of that money.
It's caused considerable political damage to former Attorney General Godfrey Smith, the Minister who oversaw and signed off on the privatizations. But now that the Companies Registry and the Intellectual Property Office are going back into public hands, current Attorney General Francis Fonseca today said it's better off there.
Hon. Francis Fonseca, Attorney General
"There is therefore every reason to declare the office as a public office. Moreover the Government of Belize has certain obligations under the agreement on trade related aspects of intellectual property rights, the TRIPS agreement of the World Trade Organization, which can be better discharged by keeping the Intellectual Property Office as a public office."
After Fonseca presented the bill, a contentious debate ensued with Mesopotamia Representative Michael Finnegan telling Smith he should resign. Here are his charges and Smith's response.
Hon. Michael Finnegan, Mesopotamia Area Rep.
"And because of the incompetence in my view of the Minister's conduct in relations to this contract, they as a government have defrauded poor people millions of dollars because of the signing of that contract. Because of his faciness..."
Elizabeth Zabenah, Speaker
"Honorable member just a second, you don't know that he is incompetent."
Hon. Michael Finnegan,
"You don't know that either so let me talk, you will make me quarrel with you again Madam Speaker. Allow me to talk. You don't have to defend the Minister, the Minister will defend himself."
Elizabeth Zabenah,
"I am not defending the Minister, I am just asking you to keep it kind. We don't impute motives, that is exactly what you are doing."
Hon. Michael Finnegan,
"Madam Speaker corruption incompetence, faciness is not something between you and your friend when you are running a country and you are running a government. This is serious business. The Companies' Registry is the property of the people of this country and the government of Belize and the member from Pickstock is just the mere custodian of the Companies' Registry. He must not use his office to abuse his authority, his brief authority, that is given to him by the Prime Minister. According to statements issued by the government of Belize, the contract was hidden from the Cabinet, and in fairness to the Prime Minister, the contract was hidden from him.
Madam Speaker for this deception and executive dishonesty, I am calling on the Prime Minister to remove the member from Pickstock Division as part of the Cabinet. I wonder if it can be classified as demonstrable incompetence or demonstrable dishonesty. I am asking these questions.
Get up and do the honorable thing and resign. What you have done has caused disgrace on our government and our people of this country and you ought not to be a member of the executive of this government. You have embarrassed the Prime Minister, you have embarrassed an entire government, and you are have embarrassed an entire country because of wiggling daggling with your personal friends, with property that belongs to the people of this country and you must that which is right. Come out of the National Assembly, resign, and make the Prime Minister call new elections in Pickstock."
Hon. Godfrey Smith, Fmr. Attorney General
"Turning to the issue of whether this thing was enshrouded in secrecy and whether it was improperly or properly done, as I have stated and as I believe has come out publicly again, the matter was in fact taken to the Cabinet. The contract did not go to the Prime Minister, he was not the Minister of Finance at the time. At the time it did go to the Minister of Finance, it was vetted by the legal counsel to the Ministry of Finance at that time. So clearly it didn't go to the Prime Minister, it went to the Ministry of Finance.
As the Prime Minister has stated publicly as well, the whole idea of the concept of privatizing or outsourcing the registry did go to Cabinet. It is not the habitual practice for the actual contract to go to Cabinet but it did pass through the Ministry of Finance and it was looked over by the legal counsel for the Ministry of Finance. So again I don't know what the member for Mesop. Is talking about when he says nobody knew about it, it was shrouded in secrecy; nothing could possibly be further from the truth.
Yes the Honorable member for Mesop is right, and I have stated, that the fee sharing arrangements were predicated, they were fashioned off existing agreements, and in hindsight one can look back and say none of these should have been fashioned like that. These things happen, I do not deny that. I freely admit that the fee sharing was perhaps not of the best, but as I said it was fashioned off existing agreements.
And finally the issue of my own involvement, I have gone on record saying yes I signed the agreement but I did not, at no time, was a owner of the company or held shares, nor did anybody hold shares for me, not only at this time, but from the very inception and I stand by that. The matter of suing is a matter of discretion for myself. I have six years within which to do that. I on this side will not be distracted by any challenge to be drawn at a time which is not of my suiting, or the parties' suiting to take up a challenge like that. It falls entirely to me and there is a full scope of six years to do it. I completely reserve my options."
