Eamon Courtenay Says Senate Committee “Needs to Check Itself” 

Senior Counsel Eamon Courtenay told reporters today that the Senate Special Select Committee’s investigation into the controversial Definitive Agreement granted to Portico Enterprises Ltd. in October 2020 by the Barrow administration is a waste of public resources.

The committee resumed its inquiry on Wednesday.

The two witnesses, Cabinet Secretary Stuart Leslie and Minister of State in the Ministry of Finance Christopher Coye, appeared with Courtenay as their attorney. Both men read a prepared statement, refused to answer questions from the committee, and walked out.

While Courtenay agreed that both men are “fundamentally answerable for their public actions,” he said that the issue is “being enquired into and whether there is any evidence, relevant evidence, that the cabinet secretary has to give and whether there’s any relevant evidence that Mr. Coye has to give.”

He said, “If the Senate Select Committee believes that the position that they have taken is not the correct one, they know what to do.”

Courtenay added that he believes that the inquiry should come to an end. “I think that the inquiry needs to be brought to an end. It is costing tens of thousands of dollars, taxpayer money, and it is a frolic. Until Mr. Contreras goes before that Senate Select Committee, we are wasting public resources. That is my subtle opinion, personally.”

Following the hearing, the committee voiced frustration, criticising Coye’s remarks as undermining their work and urging both witnesses to reconsider their decision to withhold information. During his statement, Coye said, “The Senate and any Committee thereof must be resolutely sure not to abuse their powers or be manipulated into abusing their powers to serve third-party special interests, including foreign interests, but rather to act reasonably and judiciously in the public interest of Belize and its citizenry alone.”

Courtenay added, “I find it remarkable though that they got an invitation. My clients attended, and then the Senate committee puts out a release that says that we did not participate. It is a lie. It is a lie. So the Senate committee needs to check itself.”

Courtenay, who is also the Senator for Government Business, was asked if there is a conflict of interest with him representing Leslie and Coye. “These two gentlemen were invited to appear before the Senate. They accepted the invitation. They attended. They gave their statements and indicated that they would not have any further evidence to give. And on the basis of my advice, we left.”