The government of Belize has been rocked by the resignation of seven cabinet ministers in response to the alleged use of social security funds to pay the defaulted loans of a private company and to guarantee loans for telecoms company Intelco.
Minister of Finance and Home Affairs, Ralph Fonseca, who is reported to have figured prominently in the use of Social Security funds to guarantee millions of dollars for Intelco, said that he had the full support of the Social Security Board at the time (prior to the March 2003 elections) but not the Musa Cabinet. He was the Minister responsible for Social Security when the transactions took place. In an interview with the Reporter newspaper, he said the decision to have the Social Security Board back a mortgagee plan on the international market was justifiable, especially since it opened up an opportunity to bring fresh money into the country to create jobs.
In a letter to the Prime Minster Said Musa, signed by all seven departing cabinet members, Deputy Prime Minister John Briceno, Works Minister Jose Coye, Tourism Minister Mark Espat, Trade Minister Eamon Courtenay, Housing Minister Cordel Hyde, Agriculture Minister Servulo Baeza, and Foreign Minister Godfrey Smith have now tendered their resignations.
The ministers' letter states: “In the best interest of the nation and Party, we now feel obliged to submit our resignation, effective immediately, to allow you the latitude to exercise your best judgement in the appointment of a new Cabinet.”
A subsequent statement issued by the Cabinet Secretary Robert Leslie assured that the mass resignations “will not affect the proper functioning of the Government as the Prime Minister retains oversight responsibility of the ministries involved.”
“I have already informed the chief executive officers in my capacity as Cabinet Secretary, that they are directly responsible to the Prime Minister and to no one else for management of their ministries,” added Mr Leslie.
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