David Gegg Says He Did Not Question Former Minister’s Authority

Gegg said he did not think that Contreras, an agent of the state, needed approval from any other minister of government, certainly not Panton, who was a junior minister, or the former Attorney General Michael Peyrefitte, who was an unelected minister, in order to sign the agreement. But Gegg said the agreement would not be signed until Portico had obtained environmental clearance, which his attorney indicated was possible.

 

David Gegg, Portico Developer

“I consulted with Mr Morales, who advised this was doable and he proceeded to amend the agreement. He sent it to me, and I in turn shared it with Minister Contreras. Several days later, I was told that the signing of the Definitive Agreement would be on October 1, 2020 in Belmopan. I attended that meeting and the document was signed. I don’t question whether Minister Contreras could have signed that agreement. I must say that I was not aware of any protocols or procedures which the government at the time may have had, but I knew that he was the substantive minister appointed by the governor general. He was an agent of the state. In my view, he did not need permission from Mrs Taegar-Panton, a junior minister or Michael Peyrefitte, an unelected minister, especially as those persons were clearly and openly supporting other competing interests.”