And, as you also heard, Portico is riding it out with Erwin Contreras. The company maintains he signed a valid definitive agreement for and on behalf of the government of Belize.
But, as you saw just now, the former PM says he was out of line and unauthorized. Today the media asked the Police Minister if he can be charged. Musa explained that while they are looking at the legality of the document, criminal charges aren't normally the way to handle such a situation.
Kareem Musa, Minister of Home Affairs
"A complaint, a criminal complaint would certainly have to be made if it is we're going to be looking at it from a criminal offense standpoint so I think the Attorney General's Ministry is looking at that, at the legality of the agreement but traditionally how these matters are ordinarily handled is through a civil misfeasance case, malfeasance in public office case and so I think that would be more of an angle to look at it from, from a civil standpoint because as you could imagine, an agreement like that could end up like many other agreements under the Barrow Administration costing the Belizean people millions and millions of dollars, especially if it is that we do not go ahead with that agreement and we are sued as a government. It is the taxpayers at the end of the day who always have to pay for the blunders of the past administration."
