Last night, we told you about the allegation that NEAC members were soliciting bribes from Waterloo Investment Holdings, the company which is spearheading the proposed cruise port at Port of Belize. This proposed port is currently undergoing inspections by NEAC and has had public consultation in the past to examine the environmental impacts it can have.
But in a letter from their CEO, Stewart Howard, to NEAC chairman, Dr Kenrick Williams, he said, quote, "The most alarming and inappropriate obstruction we have received was from several NEAC members, who, at different stages of the NEAC approval process, have directly and indirectly approached us and offered to 'assist' in answering of NEAC questions in exchange for financial remunerations." End quote.
Howard added that he believed the reason the project has met so many roadblocks and obstacles is because they have declined these bribes.
It's a serious allegation against NEAC members who are tasked with ensuring a fair and just process with the interest of the environment as their main focus. Today, we asked Minister of Sustainable Development, Orlando Habet, if it's something the ministry is looking into.
Hon. Orlando Habet, Minister of Sustainable Development
"From the letter that they sent in, those allegations or statements made were indeed vague because they did not give any details as to what those keep backs or hold backs or back stops were and so they didn't clarify and so we had asked them for clarification so the CEO had responded to them and there was a back and forth, two or three letters, between the CEO and principles of Waterloo."
Courtney Menzies:
"So now is this being investigated because this is a serious allegation?"
Hon. Orlando Habet, Minister of Sustainable Development
"Well what happened is one of the responses from the CEO to them was for them to come up, if these are allegations, then can they substantiate the allegations so if it's to call names, or say what it was, we don't know exactly what the prescribed bribery, so to speak, that he mentioned in the letter."
Courtney Menzies:
"But it must be concerning to you that this is even being alleged because this is serious, they're asking for bribes and they're supposed to be the body that's supposed to uphold a fair process."
Hon. Orlando Habet, Minister of Sustainable Development
"No certainly, I agree with you 100%, which is why we had requested that they give us some substantiation on the allegations so that then we can pursue it because we don't know if it's one individual, two individuals that they are talking about. It is a group of the NEAC I mean we have 16 NEAC members so it's out there, it's anybody's guess, so if they cannot substantiate it then it's difficult for us to pursue anything."
And we also asked Minister Habet if he feels that the "roadblocks" Howard outlines in his letter are indeed unfair and spiteful.
Hon. Orlando Habet, Minister of Sustainable Development
"I don't believe so, I think that, if you recall originally, they're proposal was to put the ten million cubic meters of material close to Turneffe, near the reef, and I think after the first evaluation, after the consultations with the public, that was thrown out and they were requested to submit another proposal or sites that they can dumb that seabed material and they did so I think some of it was suggested to be put onshore, near shore, and offshore and I believe that one of the things that NEAC had requested was that they didn't see the total amount that they originally said they were going to take out in those three when they combined so they were asking could you submit information as to where's the missing amount of material and when you combine the three, the total doesn't come out to what was on the first proposal."
Courtney Menzies:
"Did they make the recommendation to DOE to not approve the project?"
Hon. Orlando Habet, Minister of Sustainable Development
"They had a meeting, I can't really speak on it because there's nothing official on it but they will be preparing I guess today, the report and giving the conclusion of NEAC's meeting and maybe even explaining why they arrived at this decision but I can't do anything until it's official because I don't think they have received that official information as well."
Courtney Menzies:
"Overall do you think that NEAC and DOE has been handling the Waterloo [project] fairly?"
Hon. Orlando Habet, Minister of Sustainable Development
"Well, that would be for maybe everyone's judgment but I believe tat we have some very capable technical people in NEAC, one of them being my CEO but he is just the chair but we have representation from various departments within government, we also have representation from two NGO's and then we have from finance and human development so I think we have capable people in the NEAC to be able to make a decision. Now the judgment call on whether the decision is true to what they should be looking at from an environmental standpoint then everybody might have an opinion on that. But I'm certain you also have to consider seriously the consultation you have with the public and what the public is also looking at especially for the people who live in the area where they claim they will be putting the material."
As we told you yesterday, there are reports that NEAC has denied approval to the Waterloo Project, but those reports are still unconfirmed.
