Tonight, two cabinet ministers are supporting the media's position on the Belize Companies and Corporate Affairs Registry - known as BCCAR. Last night, the news directors of this station, KREM TV and PLUS TV all called for government to remove the secrecy firewall that has now been placed in front of the business registry. On November 28th, that was merged with the IBC registry to create the BCCAR - which transposes the secrecy inherent to IBC's unto the regular companies register.
The position of at least three independent media houses is that this is a fetter on the free press, and a major step backwards, away from transparency.
Today, Minister of Home Affairs Kareem Musa - who is an attorney - agreed that the free press has a point and public access must be ensured:
Kareem Musa - Minister of Home Affairs & New Growth Industries
"I think that if there is a necessity for us to allow greater access - because I agree with you. It should be open and transparent as it has been with local companies. I think that legislation will have to be looked at again to see how it could be amended to allow for that access because I don't think that should be the intention, to deprive anyone of access."
"I think that we certainly have to create - as I said - that level of access for you to determine the true, beneficial owners of companies. And so, as I said, when we see it being put into practice, if it is that you are not allowed that type of access, for you to determine true ownership - or beneficial ownership - that is something that we'll have to look at, because that is something [that] even in the court system, it's always asked. Who are the true, beneficial owners of these companies? And as I said, I think that the legislation would have to be tweaked or amended to allow to allow that type of access."
