Rural Transformation CEO Denies Claims of Paying for Unfinished Projects

Chief Executive Officer in the Ministry of Rural Transformation, Community Development, Labour and Local Government, Valentino Shal, has clarified that a temporary pause in infrastructure works in northern Belize was due to a delay in accessing project financing, not because works were being improperly paid for.  Shal’s comments follow allegations circulated via an anonymous text message claiming that government was making payments for projects in the north that were not taking place. Speaking on the matter, the CEO firmly rejected those claims, explaining that while some projects were approved and scheduled, implementation was briefly halted as the Ministry worked through financial processing timelines.  According to Shal, once financing access was delayed, works were paused to ensure that spending remained compliant and accountable. He stressed that government policy does not allow for payments to be made for works that have not been executed.

Valentino Shal, CEO, Ministry of Rural Transformation: “Payments are made according to procedures, the works are ongoing. There was a lull for a brief period because we needed to finish paying for the first phase of the works. And so the contractor said “Well, I’ll have to hold on until I get my payment and then I’ll continue with the rest.” And so that lull was there but it’s going to continue. And the reason for that is simple. We don’t have all the resources all at the same time. So we have to go by steps and phases to get these things done. But the works are there, the communities are happy, they are getting their improved streets and that’s what the work is about and that’s what the ministry is about.”

Reporter: So it is a fact that the works aren’t completed? 

Valentino Shal, CEO, Ministry of Rural Transformation:  “It is a fact that the works are ongoing. Yes, the works are ongoing. You see there’s so much work to be done and so we have 194 villages. Do you know much resources that take, how much work that takes? No, we have 194 villages in the country. And it’s not only in the north. We were supporting Placencia with their streets recently. We work with Elridgeville. We work with Concepción. We work with Ranchito. Just everywhere. And that’s what we do. That’s the work that we do. So it’s unfortunate though that the hard work that we do are not recognized or highlighted. It is the negative aspects of it. It doesn’t matter to me what people say. What matters to us is that we get the job done and we make sure that we pay our suppliers as we’re supposed to. And as a matter of fact, the works are going to continue. If you go to the villages, they’re seeing streets for the first time, some people live in areas that do not have streets so we have to open those streets. And these are works that are complementary to the work of the MIDH. MIDH is the bigger ministry but they have so much on their hands too. And so we complement these with small village streets. But these are not big projects.”

Shal noted that the pause was communicated internally and that contractors and local stakeholders were aware of the situation. He added that once the financial access issue was resolved, works were expected to resume in an orderly and transparent manner.  The CEO also emphasized that the Ministry of Rural Transformation operates under strict financial controls and monitoring mechanisms, including verification of completed works before any payments are issued. He described the anonymous allegations as misleading and said they fail to reflect the realities of project financing and execution.  Government officials maintain that rural development projects across the country, including in northern Belize, remain a priority and that temporary administrative delays should not be misconstrued as mismanagement or impropriety./