"Brand new second hand" - it's a way of life for those buying vehicles in Belize. But, would you pay a quarter of a million dollars - that's 250 grand - for a used ride? That's what the government of Belize did -and tonight, the Public Service Union is fuming over the price paid for a used vehicle.
Today the Public Service Union posted this letter from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to Said Perdomo, the owner of the "Car Guys" Dealership. Dated April 2025, it sets out a contract to purchase a pre-owned Toyota Land Cruiser VX for 250,000 dollars for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Now, while you might balk at that figure, Perdomo told us the vehicle had less than two thousand miles on it and the plastic was still on the seats. He also pointed out that duty paid - a vehicle like this sells for over 350 thousand dollars. Government, of course, does not pay duty.
And, Foreign Affairs CEO Amalia Mia told us that the vehicle was not bought with taxpayer dollars. Via text message, she said, quote, "The vehicle was acquired by one of our strategic partners. It is a donation to the fleet at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade. The Ministry frequently hosts high level guests which requires reliable and efficient transportation." End quote.
Except. -from our research - the high level guest driving this one is the Minister himself. We understand this vehicle was later painted matte blue and assigned to Minister Francis Fonseca.
But, the PSU is not impressed with the explanations and keeps pointing to the that price tag on a used vehicle. In a post today they say, quote, "Here is one of several Quarter of a Million Dollars reason to smile. It's called a mandate for USED Vehicles. Seeing is believing. Keep them coming Public Officers. Your children future depends on your willingness to stand against abuse of public resources and corruption."
The union is urging whistleblowers to leak more documents.
