Millions Unaccounted for as Audit Targets Former Belmopan Mayor

An audit exposing millions in possible losses at Belmopan City Hall raises serious questions, but not the reaction some might expect. Despite findings pointing to more than four-point-six million dollars in questionable transactions during former Mayor Khalid Belisle’s last term, current Mayor Pablo Cawich is stopping short of calling for his arrest. The report flags issues ranging from alleged unauthorized land sales to major gaps in oversight and accountability. So, what happens next, and will anyone be held responsible years later? We put those questions to Mayor Cawich, including whether the timing of the audit is drawing attention away from a separate, unfolding controversy involving Belisle’s political rival.

 

Pablo Cawich, Mayor, Belmopan

“In many cases, lands and assets were sold at undervalued amounts.  When I say sold, I don’t necessarily mean that they were sold at cash exchange. In some cases, it was in exchange of services. For example, I ask you to do a job and then I can’t pay you, so I give you land instead. Again, those types of practices is where the council lost a lot of funding or money because the exchanges were not always one-to-one.”

 

Shane Williams

“Should the former Mayor be arrested?”

 

Pablo Cawich

“I can’t necessarily speak to that. I can say personally that wrongdoing was committed. I wouldn’t know if I would go as far as to say anybody should be incarcerated. That is more of a police and auditor’s perspective.”

 

 

Shane Williams

“Is that timing have anything to do with trying to cast a shadow or a smokescreen over the Mira allegations?”

 

Pablo Cawich

“I don’t see how an allegation like that could be made. This audit is regarding local government. We obviously release information at public meetings, which is when we released it. The public meeting had been scheduled weeks ahead of that time so there is absolutely no correlation between both topics.”

 

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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