Lord has asked very few questions of the five witnesses who have appeared during the first two days of the hearings. On the other hand, Price has been the lead questioner, with Mrs. Martinez also being very active in the interviewing of the witnesses. In just two days, the historic hearings have unearthed very significant information about the financial dealings of the DFC.

The statement calling for Price?s resignation from the Commission was made via a press release issued under the party?s letterhead on Wednesday, August 2, 2006. It said that after careful review of interviews Price had given to the media since March 2005, ?the interviews disclose that Mr. Price has so conducted himself that he cannot faithfully and impartially inquire into the operations of the DFC??

The press release failed to cite any specific statement made by Price, which it believes demonstrated the alleged bias, however.

It goes on to say that ?Mr. Price?s impartiality is further eroded by the fact that the legal counsel to the Commission, Ms. Lois Young, who is guiding the proceedings of the inquiry, is one of the leaders of the Association of Concerned Belizeans, an organization whose membership appears weekly? on Opposition media ?and pursues a political agenda against the Government of the People?s United Party.?

Those pinpointed in the release indicated to us today that they don?t have the time to entertain the political party?s allegations.

Young had no comment on the press release, but for his part, Price had a very terse answer: ?The DFC Commission of Inquiry is at this time fully engaged in carrying out its mandate as contained in S.I. #24 of 2005. As far as press releases from political parties are concerned, the Commission has no comment.?

The party claims it has documentation to indicate that Price collaborated with the NTUCB and acted as one of their advisers in the negotiations leading up to the formation of the Commission of Inquiry.

?It is wholly unacceptable that Mr. Price could have outlined for the NTUCB strategies on how to get the Prime Minister to agree to the Commission of Inquiry, the very same Commission he would later be nominated to chair,? the PUP release continues.

It said if Mr. Price does not step down, it would call on the Prime Minister, their party leader, to revoke his appointment to the Commission. It also threatens to file legal action for Price?s removal.

Notably, the PUP had nothing to say of the Senate Special Select Committee, which had legal advice from People United Party Senator, attorney Dickie Bradley, who is also the Leader of Government Business in the Senate, and Solicitor General, Elson Kaseke, who also served as Government?s legal parliamentary counsel and who had questionable involvement in the privatization of the Companies Registry and Intellectual Property offices?a deal that was immediately rescinded by Government under public pressure.

We note that the Senate?s investigating team would have had representation from both political parties?the ruling PUP and Opposition, United Democratic Party? as well as the unions and the business community, who had seriously called the Government into question for the mismanagement of hundreds of millions of Social Security dollars.

The chairman of that Senate committee, Senator Godwin Hulse, came from the Belize Chamber of Commerce and Industry (BCCI)?an organization that had repeatedly broached the Government on public finance issues.

Both Kaseke and Bradley had a strong influence in the tailoring of the final Senate report, which the Government has fully embraced.

Even with the involvement of all the parties, Prime Minister, Hon. Said Musa, who is also the PUP?s party leader, has publicly vowed to accept all the recommendations of that Senate Special Committee, despite the fact that it had partisan representation, as well as representation from the BCCI and the NTUCB?which had publicly called for the Prime Minister?s resignation.