Last week, the biggest news was that the long secret Definitive Agreement for the Port of Magical Belize had leaked. And so had the "Cabinet Confidential" cover document which was tabled at a May 17th meeting.
It's two extraordinary leaks in quick succession - and it shows that the PM's Ministry of Finance and Economic Development is the one that took the paper to Cabinet. As we told you that Cabinet paper treats the Definitive Agreement as binding and urges ministers as follows: quote, "it is now critical that the tangible support of the government be provided through the requisite legislation which government committed to under the definitive agreement."
So, that came from the PM's Ministry - but as we reported on Friday - it was sent back by Cabinet, with the Minister of Tourism Anthony Mahler leading the charge against the Agreement - which commits government to extravagant and unprecedented concessions.
So, where does that now leave the Prime Minister? Well he came back from a conference in Busan, South Korea this morning and the media was right at the airport to ask him. He said the enabling legislation for the Port of Magical Belize will still go to the house after it is renegotiated. And, he added that the same Definitive Agreement which he called "binding" in early March, he now says, "will not fly":
John Briceno, Prime Minister
"Let me speak strictly to the matter that the paper went to Cabinet along with a copy of the Definitive Agreement. I want to make this very clear, I am very disappointed that this paper was leaked out. As you all know, when we were appointed to the Cabinet we signed an oath of confidentiality that what was discussed in Cabinet should remain there because that then disallows ministers to be able to speak their minds freely. The paper came to Cabinet, the Minister of Tourism, Anthony Mahler, then started to raise some concerns, rightly so, and then other ministers started to raise some issues. When I started to look at the issues that were being raised then I said that we're going to pull back this paper and that it has to be redone. I want to finish with this, that whenever we finish redoing that paper, whatever we take to the National Assembly, because it will be taken as part of a piece of its own legislation like what we did with Stake Bank, what we did with Harvest Caye, it will be no better or no worse than what Harvest Caye got and Stake Bank."
"Papers are prepared, they go to Cabinet, and then they're discussed, I can't speak more about what's going on in Cabinet, so when it goes to the House then we can have a full discussion as to what's going to happen. What I can assure you right now that whatever the UDP signed under the Definitive Agreement, that will not fly. We are going to be redoing it and I'll repeat once more that what goes to the House, to the National Assembly, will be no better nor no worse than what Stake Bank and Harvest Caye got."
Reporter:
"Are there any intentions to have any investigations launched into why Erwin Contreras signed this agreement?"
John Briceno, Prime Minister
"Let me finish first with settling the legislation that will give the necessary development concessions to Port Magical or Portico and once we do that, then we will do whatever investigations that have to be done, we will do an investigation and if there was any corrupt act under the previous government, then we will act on it."
