Andre Perez Says He Hit the Road Running Returning to Cabinet

Minister Andre Perez returned this week to the Cabinet for the first time in many months. The Belize Rural South Area Representative was stripped of his Blue Economy portfolio last September amid sexual misconduct allegations made by a female attorney. But Perez, who had vehemently refuted the claim, was returned as the Minister of Blue Economy last week and on Tuesday he attended his first Cabinet meeting. His fellow Cabinet Minister, Francis Fonseca had told News Five last Friday that the Prime Minister reinstated Perez after the Attorney General’s Ministry had offered advice to the PM after looking into the claim. And today, Perez told News Five that he is grateful to his colleagues who supported him.

 

Via phone: Andre Perez, Minister of Blue Economy

“First and foremost, I want to thank my minister for his confidence: that he gave me the opportunity to come back in and invited me to serve in Cabinet. And of course the camaraderie and the support that I enjoy of my colleagues is what I value very much now. And they keep on reminding me of the work that I’ve done in the past and how I’ve done it and the stellar performance. It’s not for me to say they’re the ones that show on it for yourself. I’m humbled, I’m very grateful. And as I said, I hit the ground running. This is a full busy week as well. [I’m] Committed, and of course my first cabinet [meeting] yesterday. And again, today is just another day where we’re moving forward to, to reach out to the new different departments that fall under my ministry. So I need to go and visit them and familiarize myself with them.”