Office of Contractor General to Investigate Definitive Agreement Signing

The Office of the Contractor General says it will initiate an independent investigation into the signing of the Definitive Agreement between the Government of Belize and Portico Enterprises Limited. In June, Ted Peralta, the Chief Executive Officer at the Port of Belize Limited, wrote to the Office of the Contractor General requesting that the office launch an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the signing. On Wednesday, Contractor General Maria Arthurs wrote to Peralta saying “it is within the purview of the Contractor General… to independently initiate an investigation…this investigation aims to explore the potential existence of activities that might constitute a violation of law, rules, or regulations, or mismanagement, gross waste of funds, fraud, corruption, or other impropriety relating to the award of contract”. Last week, the Office of the Ombudsman also responded to a letter from C.E.O. Peralta informing him that the alleged unlawful actions of Former Minister Erwin Contreras in signing the Definitive Agreement without authority may have constituted an act of maladministration and that there are reasonable grounds to proceed with an investigation. We continue to follow.