4 UDP CABINET POLITICIANS PERCEIVED AS BEING CORRUPT, if not criminal.

Prime Minister Dean Barrow, and Finance Minister and dictator leader of his political party.
Gaspar Vega, Deputy Prime Minister and suspected consiguerlie for the Prime Minister.
Edmund Castro UDP politician in the current government.
Melvin Hulse, Cabinet Minister of Transport and member of the perceived public impression of our government political rogues gallery.



Thankyou for the article I will repost it on the blog here. So readers can form their own opinion.

From Channel 5 News: Jun 30, 2009
Importer denied permit for Naturas juices

Story Picture

For almost six years, Triple A Imports has been the local distributor for Nectares Naturas from neighboring Guatemala. But all that has changed and the company is being denied the permit to import the juice. Duane Moody traveled to Orange Walk Town to find out why.

Duane Moody, Reporting


Triple A Imports is owned by Amir Carrillo of Orange Walk Town. The business has been operating for ten years and is in good standing. But now it seems that a politically connected distributor is favoured for the import license and is threatening the viability of his company.


Amir Carrillo, Owner, Triple A Imports
“About three months ago, we were informed just verbally by Supplies Control that they were instructed not to issue Triple A Imports any more license for Naturas.”


Duane Moody
“Why is this?”


Amir Carrillo
“I really don’t know as to why exactly—that’s why I’m asking and that’s why I have forwarded letters to supply control, Yvonne Hyde, the C.E.O. and asking for them to give me a reason.”


The Ministry of Economic Development has informed Carrillo via email on June twenty-first that no further permits would be issued to him. Carrillo further says that he has since uncovered that a representative of Vega’s Distributor from Benque Viejo del Carmen last year wrote to his suppliers Alimentos Maravilla stating that government had authorized them as the sole importer.


Amir Carrillo
“They are being approached by Edwardo Vega from Benque which is an importer from Benque—Vega’s Distributors—they are the ones that are approaching this company, they are the ones claiming that they are the only ones that will be able to get the license. They are the ones saying that if the company wants the minister from the Economic Development to forward a letter.”


Duane Moody
“How is it that this person is able to make such strong comments since last year May and they did not whether the licenses were going to be discontinued for you?”


Amir Carrillo
“Well I don’t know but that is what I need to know. I am just lost because I only know that I am not getting the license and that they are giving it to someone else.”


Duane Moody
“Vega’s Distributors is it in anyway connected to the Deputy Prime Minister of Belize?”


Amir Carrillo
“Yes I believe it is his brother.”


At stake is the livelihood of twenty full time employees.


Amir Carrillo
“We currently employ about twenty full time employees and five or six depend were solely on this brand. You see Naturas was one of the first brands that we had gotten this distributorship and it turned out to be the flagship of all the products that we have. So it will affect my business a lot and I will be forced to have to let go some people. I just want this to be solved, go back to normal so we can work as normal and with proper business ethics, with level playing field, open competition.”


According to Carrillo, it is pure politics involved since Vega Distributors is owned by the brother of the Deputy Prime Minister, Gaspar Vega. Duane Moody, reporting for News Five.


Carrillo also provided a copy of an email in which Carlos Guerra promises a formal letter from the Minister of Economic Development which would confirm that

--- On Wed, 6/15/11, Ray Auxillou wrote:

Would somebody resend me that article on the import permit business with Vega´s brother.
___________________________________

I must have missed this at the time. From this article back in 2009, Gaspar Vega did the same as Hulse has done with the Bus Operators. Through the use of cabinet political controlled permit decisions ( Ministers Discretion ) Gaspar Vega stands alongside Hulse in the perception of CORRUPTION and use of government institutions and departments, in stealing a business in Belize from somebody to give to a relative, if this is true. I´ll accept the article as true, as Gaspar Vega, the Deputy Prime Minister has had other allegations over the past few years of corrupt practices. Just never followed up on them, as they didn´t seem too big at the time.

Anyway, the lineup we have now for the private PERCEPTION OF CORRUPTION in the CABINET of UDP politicians, Melvin Hulse with his stealing of lucrative bus runs using the PERMIT PROCESS, GASPAR VEGA with his stealing the import franchise from an Orange Walk importer, to give to his brother in Benque Viejo. Since this happened to me in the lumber business, 50 years ago, I believe it. So my perception is these two are perhaps legal within the law, but are pirates and criminals in my perception. The other two corrupt people in my perception are the Prime Minister Dean Barrow, who in his authorative elected dictator position BACKS these guys in their corruption. Also his NEPOTISM feeding his family and relatives off the public feeding trough of tax revenues. Then the fourth, person would be Edmund Castro,the guy, area representative in the Belize River valley, misuse of public funds illegally.
The PUP are not going to be able to capitalize on these fellows in the next election, as 90% of the previous PUP administration were similarly corrupt.
I do not know how you can seperate the PERMIT, LICENSE and Ministers DISCRETION from Cabinet politics and certainly those that run for public political office, look upon such SELF ENRICHMENT schemes as their RIGHT, a PERK of being a politician running the government of Belize. We have been trying to change the PERMIT and LICENSE process for 50 years and the pirates that join gangs, called political parties have seemingly their sole purpose to get rich off government and people. Rather than serving in a management capacity of our country.

__________________________________

Attitude of Belizeans to the government of the day.
I'm not sure. I don't think the majority of Belizeans are surprised by this train wreck. They have no confidence in their political leaders any more, nor faith in the integrity of the court system (they know that these are high rollers we're dealing with and if the common street thug can't get convicted - what do you expect). Political Parties in Belize have no vision for the future, they simply control resources for the term that they are in office and use their political powers to play games designed to enrich themselves and their business associates. Barrow is doing it using the legal skillset he has - fiddling with the constitution and chanelling legal fees to those around him. Ralph and Musa used financial wizardry to channel grant funds to private projects and DFC loans that were never meant to be paid back.