The Commission of Inquiry investigating the sale of government assets on the cheap will have its second hearing tomorrow at the House of Culture in Belize City.
On the first day, those called to testify included the former Prime Minister, Dean Barrow, and tomorrow, his former Deputy Hugo Patt will appear. Patt has been summoned to appear and so has the man who paid the money to buy Patt's farmer ministerial ride. What could their connection be? Jules Vasquez explored the known facts:
Kelvin Li and Hugo Patt - what's the connection? Li is the man who instructed Emil Torres Auto Company and Belize Marine and Services to send these bank transfers to the government of Belize for a 10 month old 2020 Toyota Tacoma - which had been seriously marked down from its original price of $89,000 to just $65,200 dollars..
Car dealer Emil Torres says he thought it was for land:
Emil Torres - Emil Torres Auto Co Ltd
"What I Emil Torres was under the impression that it was for land or something to that extent."
And Li - legally maned Zhourong Li - was certainly involved in many land ventures in 2020. Reports tell 7News that Li had 29 parcels of land transferred to him in 2020 - 25 of them directly or indirectly from GOB.
Indeed, only 12 were directly transferred. 13 went to persons other than Li, but were then transferred to him, often within days. Many of those transfers magically started and finished the same day.
Between October and November of 2020 alone, he acquired 17 parcels of land.
But Li told us this transaction had nothing to do with land; it was for the vehicle and that he was using the repayment of those loans to extend a loan to this man,
Juvencio Herrera, who he says is a contractor, that would be building a farmhouse for him.
Patt told us Herrera was a friend so he gave him the deal on the Tacoma which the Prime Minister himself had laid out specially for his Deputy Prime Minister.
Herrera sold the vehicle to car dealer Said Perdomo.
Tomorrow, all of those players will get to tell their story to the Commission of Inquiry.
Tomorrow's will be live streamed on our Facebook page and you can also see it on Channel 7.
