LUKE ESPAT RESPONDS TO ALLEGATIONS

August 25, 2006

This week a local television station aired a report that suggested that developer, Luke Espat and Solicitor General, Edwin Flowers, violated environmental regulations in support of the Carnival Port Cruise Terminal project.  Love News sat with Luke Espat, to get his side of the story.  Espat said he is not creating any major environmental problems for the area, nor did he or anyone on his behalf violate any environmental regulation to see the project through. 

Luke Espat:

“To answer the issue of drainage it is false, Jane Usher primary canal was always there we are the ones improving it we are the ones bringing primary canals the proper way through the site. The Government did a design with the HALPRO Group for the South side drainage program which we are working closely with the Ministry of Works we are the ones that insisted in ensuring that the proper leeching works, we are the ones that have constantly been on top of all the departments  and if you had seen what was happening in that area before we took over then you would have been amazed by the condition of the water in that area. To say that we are the cause of this of the cause of that is so far from the truth.  It’s “Gutter Politics” from the very beginning of this project the Ministry of Environment was aware of what we were doing to a total extent. The Government of Belize ensured us that the environmental issue as it relates to the development of the project would have been dealt with and what is the mistake this project is no different from Marine Parade what is the point it is the same thing they made a big hullabaloo about the Ara Macao project in Placencia” 

Marion Ali: Love FM

 “Were any regulations violated by you or any body?” 

Luke Espat:

“Absolutely not they have not only done that to us here they have done that to us at the crocodile farm so this is nothing strange to me. The Area Representative has always been there with us on this project Mr. Boots Martinez totally one hundred percent and to have no mistake of the condition of this thing. With the various meetings that we have had with the Department of the Environment in the present of the Deputy Prime Minister certain things were agreed to, Mr. Pepe Garcia one day ago submitted the document as it pertains to this project with the Department of Environment and all of a sudden they have not received then they received it. Of course they have all of the documentations regarding what we are doing, there are changes like with anything. This area two years ago was dredged four and a half miles of channel and how and what could have changed? As a matter of fact all we needed for the right through of this was an extension to what was done, in all fairness but let the Belizean people decide.” 

Espat believes that a lawsuit taken out against him is a personal attack. 

Luke Espat:

“Wives secretly go to court, what is your point, who you trying to embarrass, me, the government?  Me, you won’t because you do it every week in the newspaper.  Why go behind the government back to take out a lawsuit, they brought a lawsuit to us without the sanction from the Ministry of the Attorney General.  There is not two governments in this contrary, so before we went to court we informed the government.  Do you want to go to court and have this thrown out in twenty seconds because of the personal egos of individuals?  Any lawsuit in this country must come or originate itself with the consent of the office of the Attorney General.  Nobody can bring a lawsuit against any citizen of this country that’s the constitution.” 

 Marian Ali: Love FM

“Have they gotten the consent?  How strong would the case be in your opinion?”    

Luke Espat:

“We would’ve beat them again just like the one that we did before but that’s not the issue.  Why do we have to go to court?  What are we doing that is detrimental to have to go to court, do you think by going to court we’ll change anything?  You want to what, sabotage the project that its not proceeding within a time frame is that your objective?  Is this Any nuclear waste dump we’re building, is what we’re building any different from what has been done in Belize before, when it comes to land reclamation, no, none of this is different.  So all I can assume from it, it is personal, it is intended to embarrass the government and I hold the deputy Prime Minister responsible to see that disciplinary action is taken in those people in the department trying to embarrass its own government.” 

Marian Ali: Love FM

“How do you counter what others might say is these people are just carrying out their duties?” Luke Espat:“You can’t work for anyone Marian and carry out your duty, you have a boss and you must consult with the boss and something as big as this in internet age you do not act irresponsibly to use hit lists, it goes on the on internet, it’s on the international market that finances these projects for us.  It has effect, they know what they’re doing, they know they’re intention is rude and evil and sabotage, it’s deliberate; they know what they’re doing.” 

Sanitary Engineer, Jose Pepe Garcia, who is hired with Luke Espat’s Indeco Company, told us that he has been submitting environmental impact assessments of the project since last October to the Ministry of the Environment.           

Jose Pepe Garcia:

“Last year October we had submitted my included as the engineer as an environmental engineer, and engineers are also responsible for this project proposal for Mr. Espat. What we actually submitted to Government one document was the Crocodile farm and his tourism project that he has just beyond Sandhill and the other project was the port. We submitted two documents for their perusal and we tell you that the crocodile farm EIA was process and a ECP was developed the project proposal for the port EIA was sort of last and we had been requesting what is what’s the matter because normally you submit a draft they review the draft and then they authorize you to print the thirteen copies we submitted them as final. But during that process what had happen was that the various other negotiations had been taken place for the cruise ship terminal that was suppose to be built and changes had been done to this project and so because the changes had been done well then we had to be changing the scoping of this project. And then you know we did Venezuela Oil thing and the possibility that this port could also serve export our fuel and to also import process fuel so that was an added part to this project. Additional land reclamation was also envisioned because there was more space requirement expansion of the official port. So it was a complex project but we were given a cost deadline by the Prime Minister, he said Mr. Espat please make sure that Mr. Garcia submit the final document with all the changes that were warranted because of all the new additions to this project and the deadline was suppose to have been last week Friday and we submitted our EIA  draft with all the changes last week Wednesday. So we are now awaiting for that draft to be reviewed by the Department of the Environment in fact I contacted them yesterday and they told me they are very busy reviewing not only this one but other projects and I should hear from them sometime early next week as to their comments in regards to the draft.”  

We asked Garcia about the environmental impact of the project. 

Jose Pepe Garcia:  

“The impact is going to be minimal; of course there’s going to be some impact but very difficult to quantify, but we must try to find a balance between both environments and development.  We want development in this country but we don’t want bad development, we want good development and I think this project is a good development for this country.” 

Meanwhile, Luke Espat says while he and his company will abide by the law, they will not allow anyone to impede the project from progressing. 

Luke Espat:

“We will continue to progress, we’ll do anything in the best interest of Belize and believe you me; we can do nothing else outside the law.  We are a forum that believes in its corporate duties and this is a country at lost but we will not allow people to stand in our way unnecessarily or to create obstacles that are unwarranted.” 

Belizean developer and investor, Luke Espat.

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