by Kristen Ku
BELIZE CITY, Wed. June 7, 2023
It was confirmed today via a statement from the Prime Minister’s Office that Attorney General, Hon. Magali Marin-Young is stepping down from her role as the Government of Belize’s (GoB) chief legal advisor.
One local media page has noted that this resignation is taking place just a week after the Leader of the Opposition, Hon. Moses “Shyne” Barrow publicly suggested that Marin-Young had questioned the legality of the “Definitive Agreement” for the Port of Magical Belize cruise port development — an agreement full of seemingly one-sided concessions and exemptions and provisions that have been deemed scandalous both by members of the public and some Cabinet ministers.
The reports are suggesting that Hon. Marin-Young’s departure may be a consequence of the apparent lack of consideration for her legal advice within the Briceño Cabinet. There is also speculation of increasing division and discontent within the Cabinet, with allegations of corruption surrounding the leaked Portico Definitive Agreement.
However, the Prime Minster, Hon. John Briceño, who departed the country on June 6 to attend the Meeting of the Heads of Government of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) in Nassau, Bahamas, told reporters after the leak of the agreement and the consequent public uproar, that the document would be revised and be re-submitted to Cabinet.
“The paper came to Cabinet, and Minister of Tourism Hon. Anthony Mahler rightly raised some concerns. Other ministers also expressed their issues. After reviewing the raised concerns, I decided to withdraw the paper and have it re-done,” Prime Minister Briceño stated.
Shortly after, the Leader of the Opposition, Hon. Moses “Shyne” Barrow expressed his disapproval of the decision.
“The Definitive Agreement is abhorrent, as the former Prime Minister Barrow said, and the former AG, Senator Peyrefitte, have both said; unauthorized, illegal. He didn’t take that Definitive Agreement and mold it and shape it into a form that was beneficial to the Belizean people, as I hear they are now going to do, because he has been caught,” remarked Hon. Barrow.
In an official statement from the Office of the Prime Minister (OPM) dated June 7, 2023, it was confirmed that Hon. Magali Marin-Young will be leaving her office at the end of June 2023 and will return to private practice.
However, the statement asserts that Marin-Young had initially planned to serve as Attorney General for two years but had extended her term in office by seven months, giving no indication that her decision had anything to do with these speculations about a difference of opinion on the “Agreement”.
The Office of the Prime Minister’s statement highlights Marin-Young’s accomplishments during her time in office, noting that “Positive changes were made during her tenure, including judicial reforms, legal reform, and law revision, and will be felt for years to come.”
The statement concludes by thanking Marin-Young for her dedication to professionalism, good governance, and effective leadership at the Attorney General’s Ministry.
Efforts to reach Marin-Young for a comment on the matter have so far been unsuccessful, as she has chosen to refrain from speaking publicly on the issue. “I remain in office until the end of June 2023. I would prefer to speak then,” she told Amandala.
For the time being, no information regarding who will be the new Attorney General has been disclosed by the Government of Belize.