UDP Campaign Donation Scandal Raises Calls for Campaign Finance Laws

Another bombshell dropped by Gegg was his allegation that a certain UDP minister requested a seven-digit campaign donation. Gegg claimed that the request came in the form of a quid pro quo for Portico to receive full environmental approval. Gegg says that he believes the donation would have gotten him the full support of the National Environmental Appraisal Committee. The claim brings into context the need for campaign financing laws, which is a part of anti-corruption measures the unions have been clamoring for. Today, the Prime Minister was asked if Gregg’s claim underscores the need for such laws and if his government is in consensus on the matter. 

Hon. John Briceño, Prime Minister of Belize: “Well that’s something that has to be taken, we have to take a hard look at and we’ve been trying to find ways on how we can come up with some form of campaign finance legislation because there’s no legislation but it’s important that we be able to put something that can work. The United States for instance as an example for the presidential elections they have campaign finance legislation and it’s running them over a billion dollars per candidate. Is that campaign finance legislation working absolutely not. So we need to find one that can work. I wish we could find one that would limit the amount of ads that you give and shirts and everything else because then it would make it easier for the political parties. So it’s something that  I support and we’re looking at and hopefully we can come up with something that can work for Belize. But it’s not about the political will it’s about having something that can work as I said all along it’s something that I support. Don’t you think I would want to be able to run a campaign that we would spend maybe a fraction of what is necessary? Of course we would and we’d make it so much easier for all the political parties.”

The government, through the Good Governance Unit, embarked on research surrounding campaign financing in January this year.