CCJ to rule on whether former government minister can be sued by State

The Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) will begin hearing a case in Port of Spain Monday that could determine whether a government can take legal action against former government ministers for losses suffered by the State as a result of misfeasance.

The case involves the Belize government, which has filed the lawsuit against former ministers Florencio Marin and Jose Coye seeking to recover US$473,923 plus exemplary damages. The new Dean Barrow government claims this was the loss suffered when the previous administration sold lands below market price.

The Ministry of Natural Resources in Belize filed the lawsuit against the two former ministers in the Said Musa administration for what it says is conduct "unbecoming of a government minister while in office".
 
The lawsuit alleges that the two men were "malfeasance in the sale of the 57 pieces of prime government lots to a private company, which resulted in the loss of hundreds of thousands of dollars to tax payers." The land was once owned by the University of Belize.

Belize recently became a full member of the Port-of-Spain based court. The other full members are Guyana and Barbados.

Most of the 15-member Caribbean Community (CARICOM) countries are signatories to the original jurisdiction of the court that also serves as an international tribunal for interpreting the Revised treaty of Chaguaramas that governs the regional integration movement.

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