And while the Briceno Administration has moved on from the Definitive Agreement - there will be months of examination and investigation as to how and why it ended up before Cabinet for ratification on May 16th.
A crucial part of that will be the legal opinion of Douglas Mendes. He found that Erwin Contreras did have actual implied authority to enter the agreement and that he did bind the government.
Contreras's former boss, Dean Barrow strongly disagrees:
Dean Barrow, Former Prime Minister
"There are several findings that he made with which I utterly disagree."
Jules Vasquez
"Did Mr. Contreras had actual authority?"
Dean Barrow, Former Prime Minister
"No, he didn't and I regret that I'm in this position where I have to say that I think Mr. Mendez got it way wrong."
"The facts as we know them make absolutely clear that Erwin Contreras did not have actual authority."
"The government in effect said that, in terms of the instructions that the government gave. If the government is saying, look, opine on the basis that the prime minister did not know of what Contreras did, did not give any authorization for what Contreras did. The government is saying that we therefore this current administration accepts that Contreras did not have actual authority."
