Leader of the Opposition Threatens to Cancel Royal Caribbean Project

As they say, the pen is mightier that the sword – it seems to be a belief of the Leader of the Opposition, as he has fired off yet another letter to the Royal Caribbean Group (RCG), in which he threatened to cancel the Portico Project when he becomes Prime Minister. Moses “Shyne” Barrow sent a strongly worded letter to the Chairman of the Royal Caribbean Group Audit Committee, William Kimsey questioning the sincerity of the company’s MOU with Portico and Boskalis. Barrow stated that if the company persists in what the UDP regards as a corrupt arrangement with Portico, they will have no choice but to review and, if necessary, cancel this project when it forms the next government in 2025. Barrow tells Kimsey that his previous letter sent to RCG may not have reached the committee, therefore there was a need to inform him of alleged corruption surrounding the signing of the Definitive Agreement signed by David Gegg and a former UDP Minister. Barrow then informs Kimsey of the government’s recent attempt to pass legislation to accommodate Portico, despite being advised of its illegality by an internationally renowned British attorney. The letter goes on to list the actions that have followed including eight weeks of raging public controversy, high court claims for misfeasance against the former UDP Minister, and judicial review claims challenging the lawfulness of Portico’s environment clearance and its Environmental Compliance Plan. Barrow also informs Kimsey that the Port Authority of Belize, whose approval is required before the project can proceed, declared that it had not been consulted. And the current Minister of Lands and Natural Resources hasn’t granted any permits for Portico to utilize the seabed to create its artificial peninsula, which has brought about questions as it relates to the project’s approval. In ending, Barrow called on the company to discontinue its involvement in such a scandalous project conceived in and sustained by corruption that will no doubt sully its global reputation.