CDF FOIA Disclosure Falls Short, Enriquez Says

Public-interest litigant Jeremy Enriquez says the Government’s disclosure under his Freedom of Information (FOIA) request for Constituency Development Fund (CDF) records falls short of what was requested and what the Office of the Prime Minister previously indicated would be provided.

Enriquez told The Reporter this week that the agreed timeline for disclosure has lapsed and that he has only received limited information from the Cabinet Secretary—specifically a schedule showing the monthly allocation of CDF funds by constituency. He said the disclosure does not include the broader documentation sought under the request, such as disbursement records, vouchers, audits, or internal assessments which would allow the public to understand how the money is actually spent.

Background: OPM sought more time; Enriquez insisted on legal deadline

The matter dates back to November 2025 when Enriquez submitted what he described as a sweeping FOIA request seeking multi-year CDF records and supporting documents across multiple ministries. The Office of the Prime Minister responded in a November 13 letter acknowledging the scope of the request and stating that retrieving the records would be administratively impractical within the statutory timeframe. Government officials argued that cross-referencing large volumes of records—budgets, disbursements, vouchers, audits, and internal reports—required additional time, proposing an extension to mid-December.

Enriquez replied that while he understood the scale of the records involved, the Freedom of Information Act imposes an obligation to issue an “access decision” within fourteen days—meaning ministries must notify applicants whether their requests are granted, denied, or partially granted within two weeks of receipt. He argued that administrative difficulty does not negate that legal obligation, and that failing to issue the access decision within the required period could amount to a deemed refusal, triggering enforcement of his legal rights.

At the time, he also signaled willingness to accommodate operational constraints by extending the disclosure timeline beyond the statutory window, once an access decision was properly granted.

Enriquez says latest disclosure is incomplete

In his latest update, Enriquez said the Cabinet Secretary has now delivered only the most general layer of information: constituency names, the elected area representatives, and the fixed monthly allocation amounts assigned under the CDF system.

He maintains that this is materially insufficient because the public-interest purpose of the FOIA request is not merely to confirm how much each constituency is assigned per month, but to obtain the documentation needed to verify how and to whom funds were disbursed, what approvals exist, and whether audits or internal assessments flagged misuse or non-compliance.

Monthly CDF allocations disclosed so far

The data shared with Enriquez shows that CDF allocations total $523,333.33 per month, distributed as follows:

• $25,000.00 – Orange Walk Central

• $23,333.33 – Belize Rural Central

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$20,000.00 CONSTITUENCIES: Belize Rural South; Belmopan; Cayo Central; Cayo North; Corozal Southeast; Corozal Southwest; Orange Walk East; Orange Walk North; Stann Creek West; Toledo East; Toledo West.

$15,000.00 CONSTITUENCIES: Belize Rural North; Caribbean Shores; Cayo Northeast; Cayo South; Cayo West; Collet; Corozal Bay; Corozal North; Dangriga; Freetown; Lake I; Orange Walk South; Pickstock; Port Loyola.

$10,000.00 CONSTITUENCIES: Albert; Fort George; Mesopotamia; Queen Square.

Enriquez has indicated that the Government has not yet produced the broader record set he requested, and that the allocation schedule alone does not satisfy the intent of the FOIA process, which is to provide meaningful access to public records that support transparency and accountability.