But, our government sources still suggest that because of the partnership with Boskalis - which is a Dutch dredging giant - and the MOU it has with Royal Caribbean, along with other partners, Portico remains government's choice as the frontrunner for a cruise port with a berthing facility.
But, narrowing down the details from the outrageous - some say obscene - concessions given in the Definitive Agreement.
And while the current Prime Minister has considers it binding, tonight, the former Prime Minister says he doesn't agree. He was Minister of Economic Development and Investment Erwin Contreras's boss and today he told us his own minister went rogue and did something illegal. Here's Jules Vasquez's interview with him:
Jules Vasquez
"You were prime minister at the time, what was your reaction when seeing it?"
Dean Barrow, Former Prime Minister
"Dismayed, shocked and disappointment. The minister had no authority to sign such an agreement. He had no authority to signed any agreement with Portico without first coming to cabinet, but that particular agreement in terms of what I've seen, the minister could have had no authority to sign that. Anything of that nature would in the normal course be signed by the minister of finance. Not even the minister of finance would have authority to signed that."
"The giveaways contained in the agreement having to do in some respects with tax concessions, having to do with foreign exchange. If I limit it to just the tac concessions, only parliament can exempt anybody from paying taxes. As you look at some of those provisions, you know right off this is illegal, in terms of any minister of government purporting to be able to bind the government bin that way."
Jules Vasquez
"Do you believe this was a corrupt act?"
Dean Barrow, Former Prime Minister
"For Auld Lang Syne, I will not answer. I will not offer my opinion on that. I will insist that it is so outrageously illegal, so obviously illegal that people will clearly draw certain conclusions. I will not do so myself. As I said for Auld Lang Syne, for old time's sake."
