BELIZE CITY, Thurs. July 16, 2020– On June 30, the Belize Chamber of Commerce and Industry (BCCI) publicly expressed its concerns over the Caribbean Investment Holdings Limited’s purchase agreement with Belize Bank to acquire Scotia Bank Belize, and its potential effect on the country’s economy and banking sector.

The press release called upon the GOB to “introduce competition laws to ensure that market dominance will not adversely affect any industry.”

A mere two weeks later, the BCCI has once again called out the government for its questionable procurement practices and policies. In a statement dated July 13, the BCCI called upon the GOB to “adhere to the principles of transparency, accountability and good governance.”

The release goes on to highlight protocols documented in Section 1 of the Public Procurement Procedures Handbook, which was designed to provide guidance to public officials responsible for procurement, ensure compliance with the current legislation of Belize and application of procurement international best practices, and to steer any government away from transactions for goods and services which could be deemed as encouraging nepotism and preferential treatment, amongst other corrupt practices.

Further, the BCCI explicitly criticized the government for its habit of awarding contracts in an unethical manner:

“The BCCI notes that there have been instances when just before an election, the government of the day awards — without any attempt at transparency — employment and real estate rental contracts that extend far beyond their term in office. This unduly burdens an incoming government and saddles taxpayers with costs which outweigh the value of the goods or services, as well as contractual agreements with penalties for early termination.

“Such contracts are typically entered into with no tendering process, even though Section 6.5 of the Handbook advises that there should be ‘advertising opportunities’ that have wide circulation either via newspapers, or the government’s procurement websites, and that awarded contracts ought to be made public,” the BCCI outlined in its statement.

While the BCCI’s statement does not specify any of the contracts to which it referred, it is notable that the GOB has recently entered into a contract to rent an office space for Scenes of Crime personnel in the building which houses Barrow and Williams LLP, as confirmed by Attorney General Michael Peyrefitte in an interview on July 7.

Additionally, in June, Brad’s Gaming Group Ltd. was given the gaming license to run the boledo and government lottery for another ten years. The contract was put to open tender in September of 2019 and reportedly garnered three bids; however, Brad’s Gaming Group was selected again, on the basis of undisclosed and pre-determined criteria five months before the upcoming general elections.

Another controversial case of contract renewal was seen at the municipal level in the case of Candice Miller, whose contract as the City Administrator of the Belize City Council was renewed by UDP Mayor Darrell Bradley only months before the 2018 Municipal Elections.

This resulted in a wrongful termination lawsuit which cost the Belize City Council and Belizean taxpayers nearly half a million dollars in damages.

In closing, the BCCI called on the government to refrain from entering into longstanding contracts without proper and transparent tendering processes, and also called upon the Auditor General, the Contractor General, the Public Accounts Committee and the Integrity Commission to be more rigorous in their role as “watchdogs”.