Fifty Million Reasons for an Overdue BTB Audit?

The Belize Tourism Board is being praised for rolling out major development projects across the country, but the Opposition says the public still does not know enough about how the money was spent. At the center of the issue is a fifty-million-dollar bond secured by the BTB to fund those projects. Tourism Minister Anthony Mahler has defended the accounting and oversight, but Opposition Leader Tracy Panton says Belizeans deserve a full breakdown: which projects were funded, where they are, how much each one cost, and how contractors were chosen. Panton says that without those answers, the public cannot know whether procurement rules were followed or whether taxpayers are getting value for money. She is now calling for a forensic audit of the Belize Tourism Board.

 

Tracy Panton, Leader of the Opposition

“Let’s not forget that the Belize Tourism Board got a fifty-million-dollar-bond for tourism infrastructure projects throughout this country, and we have seen no audit on these projects, where these projects are located, how many was spent, how were the contractors qualified. We don’t have any information that will help us to have confidence that this money that was borrowed is being used in the public’s interest, that we’re getting value for money that we went through a proper procurement process. Honestly, when a fish stinks, it always stinks from the head. And a  fifty million dollar – fifty million is not five thousand dollars. It’s fifty million dollars. And we need to know that the investments were made properly and in the interest of this country. I have said over and over, you can drive any- past any one of the current ministers’ homes, and luxury vehicles, luxury boats. We know that they’re building multiple homes. That cannot happen on a government salary.”

 

Attention readers: This online newscast is a direct transcript of our evening television broadcast. When speakers use Kriol, we have carefully rendered their words using a standard spelling system.

 

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