The Caribbean Court of Justice has ruled that Belize’s laws regulating the importation of liquified petroleum gas are constitutional—handing victory to the Government in a long-running dispute with major gas companies.
In a decision delivered on Thursday, the CCJ found that the legislation creating the National Gas Company and giving it exclusive import rights did not breach the companies’ constitutional rights.
The Court said the firms failed to prove that their property or goodwill had been taken, and that they remained free to operate.
A dissenting judge disagreed, but the Court ultimately ordered each side to bear its own costs, citing the public importance of the case.
