22 hours ago
2
The Auditor General’s Report for 2017–2018 is querying close to three billion dollars in write-offs that never made it to the House of Representatives for approval. While some of those write-offs were carried out under the Barrow administration, the report says a huge portion was actually removed from the Government’s books under the current administration but backdated to March 2018. It is a curious case, especially when placed against an event from 2019. At that time, Cayo South Area Representative Julius Espat challenged the write-off of forty thousand dollars reportedly owed by the son of then Cabinet Secretary Carlos Perdomo. Espat argued that the issue was bigger than the amount involved. He said the Government had a responsibility to be open about how it handled public funds because those in office were merely the custodians of the people’s money. For context, we take you back to that interview with Espat in November 2019.
Julius Espat, Cayo South Area Representative: “I don’t think you all realize how important you are for democracy. And so that’s why I stress it every time. If the fourth estate joins up with the people to demand justice, it will happen. For example, just to give you a clear example, if you guys and the people didn’t rise up and rail up for the $40,000 it would have never been paid back. In fact, they took it to the House to justify, they defended it on television, they did everything possible to defend something that everybody knew was wrong. But it is because of you guys and the people through social media and other means, voicing their objection to this horrendous situation that happened the money all of a sudden was paid back in one day. So that means the money was always there, or access to the money was always there. That’s power to the people. And that is what I believe we should strive and fight for. No matter which party is in government. You have to have checks and balances. The modern world or the mature democracies, they understand that these things are important. We want to play hide and seek. We want to still do all of our deals behind the table wit no light on and hope that nobody knows. If the public did not pressure the Government of Belize and the Cabinet Secretary $40,000 would not have been paid back. It is because the people of Belize, through the media, got a hold of the problem and decided that they were not happy with it and through various angles decided to pressure the government and in the end, the end result was that they paid back the money. Transparency is important for people to understand that anybody vying for leadership has to be able to show that they are good custodians of the public purse.”
Seven years later, the question of transparency over government write-offs has returned, this time involving billions of dollars. The Auditor General’s report central finding is that approximately $2.83 billion in longstanding balances was removed from Government accounts without auditors seeing any proof that the House of Representatives approved the move. Under the Government’s Financial Orders, write-offs above ten thousand dollars generally require approval from the House. The largest adjustment involved approximately $2.51 billion in the Debt Tracking Account. That account was supposed to keep track of international loans, money received and loan repayments. Auditors, however, were told that it had not been used consistently and also contained expenses and transactions that had not been properly matched or explained. The entry clearing that $2.51 billion was made on December 15, 2023, under the current administration. But instead of carrying the 2023 date, it was given an effective date of March 31, 2018, when the Barrow administration was in office. Auditors said they could not determine whether the adjustment was correct because the account had not been properly reconciled and the supporting documents were not provided. Another $361.4 million was removed from a Suspense Account. This type of account is normally used temporarily when accountants have not yet determined where a transaction belongs. That balance was also cleared in December 2023 and backdated to March 2018. The report further questions the removal of more than $2.3 million in miscellaneous advances. That account had reportedly been inactive since 2011. Officers could not properly explain why the balance was cleared, and auditors found no evidence that attempts were made to recover any outstanding money before it was written off. According to the report, during an interview on June 25, 2026, a Finance Officer reportedly confirmed that the write-offs were done before approval was obtained from the House. For clarity, a write-off is an accounting action that removes a balance from the books, and does not mean that close to three billion dollars in cash was stolen or physically disappeared. Love News has sought feedback from Auditor General Maria Rodriguez and will report accordingly./
English (US) ·