BELVEDERE--The lack of clarity surrounding the Executive Council's financing of a Methodist church got even murkier on Friday when reliable sources disclosed that plans are afoot to finance the project with funds from the tourism marketing budget for Latin America.

The Daily Herald also learned that government's Finance Department has not yet signed off on the document for the construction of the church, citing numerous irregularities.

Under the current budgetary regulations, if the impasse with the Finance Department persists, Committee for Financial Supervision (CFT) can be notified. Chairman of the Executive Council, Lt. Governor Franklyn Richards has not been available for comment, and has not issued a statement on this issue.

In the meantime, the Executive Council and the group behind the Methodist church's development in Belvedere are scheduled to break ground today at the project site next to the TelEm building at the entrance to Belvedere. Construction will not commence right away as the permit has not yet been finalized.

The construction of the church is projected to cost NAf. 500,000 as a "compensation" for work carried out on a structure without a permit by the developers at another site in Belvedere.

The government had said it made a mistake by not informing the developers that the first intended area for the church had been designated for a sports field. St. Maarten Housing Development Foundation (SMHDF), not the Executive Council, had given the developers the "green light" to use the property.

The Democratic Party, which assisted the developers in finding an alternative site during its tenure in government, has asked the government to indicate how, when, and where the government made a mistake. The party has received no response to date.