The Government announced on Wednesday that after a Cabinet evaluation of applications for vacant exploration blocks in the northwestern Orange Walk District, it is proposing to give the contract to Maranco Ltd., a company formed in Belize in 2005 through Guardian Services Limited and Prudential Trust Corporation Limited, an affiliate of the law firm of Eamon Courtenay and Christopher Coye in Belize City.
Courtenay told Amandala Thursday evening that he does not have any financial interest in Maranco, although his law firm, Courtenay Coye LLP, does represent Maranco and is representing Maranco in a current arbitration. He told us that he cannot speak for Chris, who he confirmed still works for the Belize Bank; but he, Courtenay, would be surprised to find out that Coye holds directorship or shares in Maranco.
Courtenay said that Prudential is a vehicle his law firm uses to form new companies for clients.
Maranco’s company documents, which Amandala has perused, indicate that the 2 shares (00001 and 00002) held by the Belizean parties at the formation of Maranco Limited in Belize in 2005 were later transferred to Maranco LLC of Nevis in 2006.
A 2006 allotment of shares shows Maranco LLC, headed by Englishman Paul Marriott, as receiving the remainder of the 10,000 (00003 to 10000) issued shares in Maranco, signifying that all the shares were transferred to the Nevis company.
Amandala readers will recall that Maranco was the company which was engaged by Belize Natural Energy to conduct drilling operations in Spanish Lookout, Cayo. Maranco is suing BNE in Nevis, and the court recently ordered BNE director Tony Quinn to purchase Maranco’s shares in BNE.
Of note is that BNE also made a bid for the Orange Walk concession. Three other companies, according to the government, also applied for the same concession: Providence Energy Belize Ltd. (which already has a concession for two offshore areas in Belize), New Hope Natural Resources Ltd. and Cara Energy Belize Ltd.
The government has not explained to us why it chose Maranco over the other four companies.
The contract area proposed to be awarded to Maranco includes Gallon Jug, which is an area that Prime Minister Dean Barrow has told our newspaper is an area deemed to be of good potential, perhaps second best next to Toledo.
Maranco Limited, which has its office at Iguana Creek in the Spanish Lookout area, is owned by Maranco LLC of Charlestown, Nevis, in the West Indies. It is an affiliate of PR Marriott Drilling Limited, established over 60 years ago in 1947 by the Marriott family of the UK.
Before finalizing the petroleum contract, Cabinet is giving the public two weeks to make representation and offer any objections on the offer to Maranco. No details were provided, however, on the terms of the contract.
Already, the Association of Protected Areas Management Organizations (APAMO) has, via a press release, stated its objection to the government’s decision to issue the concession over a block of land that includes the Rio Bravo Conservation and Management Area, a protected area.
The area, said APAMO, “…protects extensive areas of various habitats, as well as key species such as howler and spider monkeys, birds, gray foxes, over 80 species of bats, tapirs, porcupines, anteaters, and 110 species of orchid, all five species of cat within Belize: puma, jaguar, margay, jaguarundi, and ocelot.”
It added that the protected area also includes over 60 Maya archaeological sites, many of which are unexcavated: “La Milpa, the third largest site in Belize, and Chan Chich (Lodge and site) are found here,” it said.
APAMO says, “While the Government of Belize has for the first time made public the information on pending applications for vacant petroleum blocks – APAMO considers it totally disingenuous on their part for issuing a notice late Thursday with regards to applications received from 5 companies interested in the PSA for the Northwestern Orange Walk District that includes parts of the Rio Bravo Conservation and Management area, and that these will be evaluated at the next Cabinet meeting, which is scheduled for Tuesday, March 8, 2011, when Monday is a public and bank holiday.”