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In a strange turn of events surrounding Portico’s Final Agreement, businessman David Gegg has announced that he made some mistakes in his testimony. Gegg has appeared before the Senate inquiry twice. In an appearance last month, Gegg noted that he had informed several people in the Briseno government, including the Prime Minister, of the existence of the agreement. He said he did so shortly after the November 2020 election. This was a biased statement for him to make, as several members of the current government have stated that they knew nothing about the document. Gegg’s testimony then placed members of the government in direct contradiction. In a leaked document, Gegg then informed Eddie Webster, secretary of the National Assembly, that there were some errors in his testimony. For context, we review the parts of Gegg’s statement that he is now trying to correct.
senator: “When the new government came in, did you let them know about the agreement, or did they come to you and tell you—”
David Gegg of Portico Enterprises Ltd. said: “Yes, I did. I wrote to the Prime Minister and all other senior ministers to tell them that we have signed this agreement with the conditions precedent attached. In fact, we have already attended the third NEAC meeting and we are expecting further meetings of NEAC which we hope will result in the approval of the environmental clearances which we know are required to start the project.”
senator: “Yes. If I remember correctly, that election was in November 2020. Yes, November 11. Yes, memory sometimes impresses me a little. Not all the time, but yes, it was in November 2020. When do you think you will inform them of the existence of this agreement?”
David Gegg of Portico Enterprises Ltd. said: “About a week later.”
senator: “A week later, their term has just begun.”
David Gegg of Portico Enterprises Ltd. said: “I don’t remember the exact date. But as soon as it became clear that they had taken over Belmopan, I immediately sent them an email with a copy of the document and, of course, congratulated them and let them know that the process, the project, was in the works.”
senator:“How’s the response?”
David Gegg of Portico Enterprises Ltd. said: “I think it was well received, but there was that element. I think there’s still that element.”
senator: “Then it was submitted to the Cabinet, and then—”
David Gegg of Portico Enterprises Ltd. said: “Well, I mean, before that, we had to have the fourth NEAC meeting, which was I think on February 2, 2021, and the DOE, which usually speaks for the NEAC, took a long time to get back to me, and when they did, they said that the ECP had to be implemented in phases, and that’s exactly what they did. There was some back and forth between me and Boskalis at the time, and I think on April 8 or 9 they said, we’re ready to sign.”
senator: “So, the Prime Minister ripped up a final deal on television. How does that make you feel?”
David Gegg of Portico Enterprises Ltd. said: “That means I have six years to figure this out.”
senator: “sorry?”
David Gegg of Portico Enterprises Ltd. said: “That means I have six years to figure this out.”
senator: “What do you mean?”
David Gegg of Portico Enterprises Ltd. said: “I’m not going there.”
senator: “No, no, no, I…”
David Gegg of Portico Enterprises Ltd. said: “You’re a lawyer.”
senator: “I…I want to…for the people of Belize, remember? What that means? I asked you before if you would sue the government.“
David Gegg of Portico Enterprises Ltd. said: “Parliament is often a theatre. Politicians often become actors. I think that’s what happened there. Prime Minister Briceno is a well-respected politician who has been in office longer than most other politicians. I have great respect for him. I have no problem with what he does because I know he is catering to a different audience. Now we have to sit down and agree on a document that will satisfy us and our investors.”
In his letter to the clerk, Geger said he had sent the document to Minister Anthony Mahler at what he believed to be the correct personal email address. He also said he had forgotten to attach the document to the email, which, incidentally, he had copied to the Prime Minister. Geger said the email never reached Briceno because he misspelled Briceno, using the letter E instead of I. This is indeed strange because his testimony has been riddled with holes in several interviews given by members of this government. Earlier this evening, we asked Geger to provide us with a screenshot of the email he sent, but he told us he did not want to add fuel to the fire.
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