Amid a rising national push for stricter oversight of public expenditures in Belize, the spotlight has swung back onto Opposition Leader Tracy Panton herself, following sharp accusations from former United Democratic Party (UDP) leader Shyne Barrow. Barrow has publicly pressed Panton to answer lingering questions about her role in approving the controversial Brads Gaming Boledo contract, arguing that the opposition leader must clean her own house before demanding forensic audits of public bodies such as the Belize Tourism Board.
Local media directly confronted Panton with Barrow’s claims, which frame the contract as corrupt and nepotistic. In a firm response, Panton rejected the allegations as intentionally damaging to her reputation, warning that she is prepared to pursue legal action over what she calls defamatory and libelous comments from Barrow.
Panton pushed back on the core of Barrow’s accusation, noting that her former role as a Minister of State never granted her the unilateral authority to approve high-stakes government contracts of this scale. “No body unilaterally approved anything under the Barrow administration,” she explained, clarifying that all major government agreements require sign-off from the Office of the Attorney General and the relevant substantive government minister, a power a junior minister does not hold.
She further detailed that the Brads Gaming Boledo contract followed full regulatory protocol during her oversight of the process: after cabinet approved the initial recommendations, the agreement was sent to the Contractor General for independent review and scrutiny to confirm full compliance with all legal requirements. With four decades of public service to Belize under her belt, Panton emphatically denied ever abusing her position for personal gain, or to benefit friends and family at the expense of the national public interest.
She added that the contract review process included input from multiple independent oversight bodies, including the Gaming Control Board, Ministry of Finance, Attorney General’s Ministry, Ministry of Economic Development and the Office of the Auditor General, to ensure full transparency and accountability. This report is a transcript of a televised evening news broadcast, with all Kriol-language statements transcribed using a standardized spelling system.