Another question for Minister Oscar Requena today centered on his CEO and Belmopan Area Representative Oscar Mira. In late June, at the start of the Ministry of Defense scandal, a video surfaced showing Shal exiting what appeared to be a government building with Mira. We asked Requena whether that relationship raises any concerns. He says it does not, adding that Mira needed someone to talk to and turned to a trusted friend and ally.
Oscar Requena, Minister of Rural Transformation
“Listen, I sit down and speak with my CEO on a regular basis and there is always room for discussion to ensure that whatever we do at the Ministry of Rural Transformation, that it is above board and inline with the financial regulations and that at the end of the day we have accountability for the resources we manage. It is a privilege to manage those resources and we must ensure to do that to the best of our ability.”
Paul Lopez
“Did he explain to you why they were meeting at a government building sometime back, he and Minister Mira at the height of this controversy?”
Oscar Requena
“Let me clear that. CEO Shal is a friend of Minister Mira and at the time Minister Mira was going to challenges. My understanding is that he came over to say hi to CEO and to chit chat with him. But it is not anything out of the way. Some people and even social media presented in a way as if though they were planning or hiding anything, please man, there is nothing like that taking place.”
We note that CEO Shal has worked closely with Mira in the past on his campaign strategy.
Attention readers: This online newscast is a direct transcript of our evening television broadcast. When speakers use Kriol, we have carefully rendered their words using a standard spelling system.
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