Ella Waight: GOB Taking Ombudsman Office to Court is an Affront

Jeremy Enriquez, social activist has filed a Freedom of Information request to the Prime Minister for full disclosure on Constituency Development Fund.

He has formally submitted a detailed request to PM Briceno under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) seeking full disclosure of the allocation, management, and accountability of the Constituency Development Fund (CDF) for fiscal years 2020 to 2025.

The request urges the Government to release all relevant records regarding how the CDF, an annual sum reportedly allocated to each of the thirty-one electoral divisions, is distributed, spent, and audited.

These funds are intended to support constituency offices, community projects, and direct assistance to citizens.

However, there has been increasing public concern about the lack of transparency and accountability surrounding how these funds are managed, and whether the distribution is fair and proportionate.

In his submission, Enriquez highlights that the public has a constitutional right to know how taxpayer funds are being utilized, particularly when these resources are entrusted to elected officials for community development.

The FOIA request specifically seeks detailed statements of allocations to each constituency, records of disbursements from the Consolidated Fund, copies of payment authorizations, project reports, and any audit or oversight documents.

It also requests copies of policies, guidelines, and Cabinet papers governing the creation and operation of the Fund.

Enriquez has urged the Government to respond within the 14-day period mandated by the Freedom of Information Act however; the government has opted to take the Ombudsman office to court so as not to release the information.

In an interview with LOVE NEWS earlier this evening, President of the National Trade Union Congress of Belize, Ella Waight said the government’s actions are an affront to good governance.

Ella Waight, President, NTUCB: “Of course, these are the principles that the NTUCB has consistently championed, and the government itself pledged to uphold in Plan Belize 2020 commitments. We’d like the public to know that the NTUCB stands firmly in solidarity with the Office of the Ombudsman, recognizing that this matter is one of significant public interest. And that is because the legal costs associated with this case are drawn from consolidated funds as such, they are public funds, monies that we as tax payers pay in to the government. And we feel that it should not be hidden or restricted from public scrutiny.”

Waight spoke of how far the NTUCB plans to go if the matter goes through.

Ella Waight, President, NTUCB: “The NTCB has already been calling on its membership to unite. We are going to be sharing information on this matter. We are going to be activating our members to ensure that they are up to date with what is happening because this concerns good governance, something that we have been advocating for many years. We are now uniting our membership and getting them ready. The NTUCB calls on government to immediately reconsider .The NTUCB has agreed to do everything within its power to ensure that this administration lives up to good governance practices. We are putting the Briceno administration on notice as a national representative body of workers and of course as steadfast advocate for transparency and accountability. The NTUCB will not remain silent. We will not stay still on the matter while the government targets an office whose very purpose is to protect citizens’ rights, promote accountability, transparency, and fairness in public administration.”