BELIZE-AID-Prime Minister to tell nation more about Venezuelan funds controversy

BELMOPAN, Belize, CMC – Prime Minister Dean Barrow will on Friday provide details of a visit to Caracas by a government delegation regarding the decision of the former Said Musa administration to use part of grant funds provided by Venezuela for a housing project to pay off a portion of the country's debt.

 

A statement issued after the weekly Cabinet meeting said that Barrow had advised colleagues of the trip by the two-member delegation "looking into the diversion of a portion of the Venezuela housing money".

 

It said that Barrow has scheduled a news conference for later on Friday and would "report to the nation on the team's findings".

 

Last week, Musa broke his silence on the US$20 million grant given by Caracas after the new government said that it was awaiting word from the Venezuelan government as to the exact amount of money given to the last administration.

 

"On December the twenty-eight, 2007, the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela and the Government of Belize entered into an economic cooperation agreement for a non-reimbursable grant—gift—of U.S. twenty million," Musa said in a radio broadcast.

 

Musa said that 10 million dollars was transferred from Bandes to the Belize Bank which settled the government's debt obligations with the Belize Bank.

 

"Our understanding with the Venezuelan government was that only the housing/sports facility grant—the U.S. ten million dollars—received by the Central Bank was to be announced until further notice," he added.

 

But Prime Minister Barrow said that he viewed the decision of the Musa government as "absolutely reprehensible. It is highly immoral and the product of a conspiracy."

 

On Thursday, the main opposition People's United party (PUP) issued a statement emphasising the public benefits derived from Universal Health Services remaining open and the overriding need to pay off the outstanding debt to the Belize Bank.

 

CMC/pr/db/08