PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad – The Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) will begin hearing a case on Monday that could determine whether a present government can take legal action against former government ministers for losses suffered by the State as a result of misfeasance.
The Belize government filed the lawsuit against former ministers Florencio Marin and Jose Coye seeking to recover BZ$924,056.60 (US$473,923) plus exemplary damages, which the Dean Barrow government claims was lost in the sale of lands below market price by the previous administration.
The Ministry of Natural Resources in Belize filed the lawsuit against two former ministers under the Said Musa administration for what it says is their conducts unbecoming of a government minister while in office.
The two men, the lawsuit alleges, were malfeasance in the sale of the 57 pieces of prime government lots to a private company, which resulted in the loss of hundreds of thousands of dollars to tax payers.
The land, which is located in the West Landivar area of Belize City, was once owned by the University of Belize.
The land reportedly was sold to the government of Belize under the Musa administration for far more than was paid by the private developer.
The CCJ, which was established in 2001 to replace the London-based Privy Council as the region’s final court, said it would begin hearing the matter on Monday, November 26.
Belize recently became a full member of the CCJ, having joined both the original and appellate jurisdiction of the Port-of-Spain based court.
The other full members are Guyana and Barbados, while most of the 15-member Caribbean Community (CARICOM) countries are signatories to the original jurisdiction of the court that also serves as an international tribunal for interpreting the Revised treaty of Chaguaramas that governs the regional integration movement. (CMC)
