$2.5 Million Dollars to Rent Government Offices, But from Who?

Two and a half million dollars a year, that’s what the Government of Belize is spending just to rent office space. It’s a number that’s hard to ignore, especially when it’s coming straight from taxpayers’ pockets. But here’s the real question: who’s getting paid? Are these rental deals fair market value, or are they quietly benefiting a well-connected few? From five-figure monthly rents to buildings once owned by the government itself, tonight we dig into the details. News Five’s Paul Lopez sits down with Minister of Public Service Henry Charles Usher to get answers, and to find out if the public is really getting its money’s worth. Here’s that report.

Paul Lopez, Reporting

It’s a question that’s got a lot of people talking, how does the Government of Belize justify spending two and a half million dollars a year just on rent? Every month, over two hundred thousand dollars is being paid out across fifteen ministries to house public officers. That’s a hefty bill coming straight from taxpayers’ pockets. These rental deals are signed off by the Ministry of Public Service, led by Minister Henry Charles Usher. So, is this money well spent, or could it be better used elsewhere?

Henry Charles Usher, Minister of Public Service

“We are trying our best to make sure those contracts are kept within what you can find commercially. When the government of Belize rents from a landlord for a commercial space. They are competing with other tenants. One of the highest paying commercial tenants are the BPOs. So, they drive up the cost of these office buildings. I wish there was a government rate that the landlords provide to government. There is not but we want to make sure the offices are good.”

Here’s something that’s raising even more eyebrows, did you know the Government of Belize is paying rent to the same landlord for not one, but two major ministries in Belize City? That’s right. The Immigration and Nationality office on the Northern Highway and the Central Health Region office on Coney Drive are both housed in buildings owned by the late H.D. Thompson. And get this, the government is shelling out eighteen thousand dollars a month just to rent five floors for the Central Health Region alone. What’s more surprising? That office used to sit on government-owned land right next to KHMH.

Henry Charles Usher

“The reason why the ministry of health moves is that the building was condemned. So, now that we have moved them out, we need to do the renovations on that building so that we can put them back in their, or if KHMH has been expanded to be able to use. Again it is about making sure that the offices the public servants are in that they don’t, it is not something that is making them sick that it has all the proper amenities need to get the job done.”

“It is not the case that this family is being favored?”

Henry Charles Usher

“It is a case of availability, what is needed for this department of ministry and that is the primary choice.”

And then there is the Ministry of Blue Economy’s office on Seashore Drive. The government is paying fourteen thousand dollars monthly to rent that property.

“We understand the owner of that to be one Stanley Hoy. Do you justify entering into an agreement with him and paying fourteen thousand dollars for that?”

Henry Charles Usher

“I believe we looked at the cost for square footage to ensure it fell within the parameters the government has set. We found it was conducive to what the Ministry of Blue Economy needed.”

“That was only five years ago being rented for forty-five hundred dollars. How do you justify the jump?”

Henry Charles Usher

“At the time I believe it was residential. You have to look at the difference between residential before, now you have to look at the difference between residential and commercial property. When it was being rented for that price is was at a residential rate, which is less. Nobody is going to pay above a certain amount to live in a house, no matter if it on the seas side, beach side. For an office space the rent is different. It is based on square footage. Once it falls within the parameters of the square footage that government has set then it is justified.”

In Belmopan, the government is paying twenty-two thousand dollars to an unnamed Asian national to rent office space for the Immigration and Nationality Department.

“Who are we paying twenty-two thousand dollars to the Ministry of Immigration. My understanding is that it is an Asian National. Who is that person?”

Henry Charles

“I don’t know the name of the landlord in that case. But, again we have to look at the square footage to see how much of the building is being rented and what is the price per square foot.”

“Is it not in your ministry’s interest to know who these people are?”

Henry Charles Usher

“Of course and we do, we have all the files for everybody. I am just saying off the top of my head I cant say who that would be.”

We challenged Minister Usher to release the names of every landlord the government rents from.

Henry Charles Usher

“Of course there are contractual obligations on certain things, but once the attorney general’s ministry says it is ok then I don’t have a problem. It is the people’s money and not something already known.”

We will hold the Minister of Public Service Henry Charles Usher to his commitment. Reporting for News Five, I am Paul Lopez.