Switching subjects now - we got back to the Commerce Bight Port. Last week we showed you a 2024 Senate presentation by the UDP's Mike Peyrefitte that raised some salient questions about the act for the Port's Development.
When we asked the AG about that agreement last week - he said he didn't draft it:
Anthony Sylvester, Attorney General
"No I didn't have any input in the drafting of that, that came to cabinet and as cabinet members we would have considered that, we look at the viability of it in terms of being able to provide economic opportunities for the south our southern Brothers and sisters and it was on that basis that we certainly would have embraced the fact that it could be a fledgling industry and a fledgling enterprise in the south of Belize."
Reporter
"But do you actually review after the fact because as the lead opposition senator at the time pointed out there were a whole lot of questions that arose from it including regarding funders who are never disclosed, and the leader of government business at the time never responded to the all the concerns that if the developer cannot pay loans that he is allowed to take - despite the fact that he claimed he had already gotten the 50 million for the capital investment - if they could not repay those loans, then the funders could step in even before the government said "okay I want to take back the port.""
Anthony Sylvester, Attorney General
"No no no, and you see that is the reason why it was passed as a act of parliament the government has the authority and the prerogative if it were to and I must confess I am not intimately involved in the matter so I don't know but obviously these are all things which would be subject to further review. But as it relates to fiscal invectives and as it relates to these types of incentives there that are given a bonafide Belizean business entity makes representations to the government, these incentives and these tax concessions are given on the basis that they would ultimately be able to provide employment and economic buoyancy but of course when or if certain things were to arise which lead a particular government obviously the government would have a re look at the matter."
