The Venezuela money, on January 7th – the day that general election was announced - Ralph Fonseca, the man who negotiated the grant, told us it’s ten million U.S. dollars. And after that, the money just rolled out in liberal allotments of housing loans and grants. Two days ago on this newscast, the new Housing Minister Michael Finnegan said the money was done and accepted that most of it probably wouldn’t be paid back – and that was supposed to be the end of the story. But it’s not, not by a long shot. On the day after election, the Venezuelans wrote to the government asking it to account for US$20 million, not ten!
The letter is from Luis Arias Bellorin, the Vice President of International Cooperation and financing in Venezuela asking the CEO in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Amalia Mai. Foreign Affairs Minister Sedi Elrington asked his colleague Housing Minister Michael Finnegan to see if they got the money. Finnegan didn’t but came to us to tell us who might have the answer to this US$10 million question.
Hon. Michael Finnegan, Minister of Housing
“The people of Venezuela and the government of Venezuela, they have given to the people and the government of Belize, it wasn’t US$10 million, it was twenty million U.S. dollars, according to this document. And the people are asking for an accounting of their monies. This letter was sent to the Ministry the eight of February, the day after the election to Miss Amalia Mai, asking her to kindly account for the gift of the US$20 million that was given to this country. And the government reminded them, the Venezuelan government reminded Miss Mai that US$19 million was given for housing projects and home improvement loans and US$1 million was given for the stadium that is being built at the Marion Jones Complex.
If my mathematics is correct, that is 20 million U.S. dollars and the government all along the line were saying that they received ten million U.S. dollars from the government of Venezuela. And the Venezuelans are now saying they received US$20 million. So the government is $20 million Belize short.”
Jules Vasquez,
So where is that money?
Hon. Michael Finnegan,
“I want to know and I think the former Prime Minister of the last administration who was the Minister of Finance has some accounting to do to the Venezuelan government and to the people of Belize.”
We tried to reach opposition leader Said Musa at his office today but we were unsuccessful. We did contact the Venezuelan Embassy and sent them a copy of the letter, but the Ambassador did not return our call. However we did speak to the Prime Minister and Minister of Finance Dean Barrow and he told us that he has confirmed that the Financial Secretary Joe Waight has confirmed to him that government only received US$10 million. Barrow added that the Central Bank also did not receive the money. He says Waight is writing the Venezuelans to see if he can trace it.
