Dear Editor,

The Briceño government was quick to boast of the 300 jobs it supposedly sustained and the BZ$50 million the offshore industry brings to the economy. The defense of the industry by the government was almost comical when you recall that it was less than a year ago (on November 3, 2020) that the PUP held a press conference in which they charged that Anwar Barrow, the son of the then Prime Minister, was in fact one of the owners of Brads Gaming Company. Eamon Courtenay charged that “the Prime Minister’s son Anwar Barrow is likely the owner of Goodlee Limited, the company that holds sixty percent shares in Brads Gaming Company” [1].  Courtenay went on to say that “a ten-year exclusive contract valued at five hundred million dollars was awarded to Brads earlier this year. The PUP says that it has received credible information and has done extensive research about the suspicious contract and it all points to Anwar Barrow as the owner of Goodlee Limited, a company registered in Saint Lucia.”[2]

The Briceno government was being hypocritical when it issued that press release about the Pandora Papers because the PUP had no intention of getting to the bottom of the Boledo contract. That is why almost a year after that “bombshell” they have not done anything to deal with the allegation against Anwar or his father. It is astonishing that the Belizean people would allow its government to give a $500 million contract to an offshore company knowing fully well that those companies are “opaque”. Equally astonishing is the fact that a year on, the PUP has not done anything to prevent it from happening again; no legislative changes have been made. If you look at the so-called Blue Bond negotiations you will understand why. A member of Briceno’s Cabinet handled that deal. Follow the money. Oh wait, you can’t…it went offshore?

The fact is that the offshore industry benefits only a few politically connected people, but it is the rest of us who must bear the burden for the millions that go to their pockets. The next time you feel pressured at Western Union, or MoneyGram; or the next time you are harassed by the banks or insurance company, you can thank the offshore sector.

Wake up Belize.
Jacinto Utilio Kenneth Briceno
Maryland, USA
P.S. No relation to the Honorable Prime Minister