Headed by Northern Ireland woman Susan Morrice, the company has claimed the proposed tax hike would "kill" the oil business in Belize. BNE has already sold some oil from wells in the country and claims there may be massive untapped reserves in Belize.

BNE has threatened to leave the country if the government proceeds with its plans. Last week the government's director of petroleum said if BNE does leave then an oil services company may be brought in to complete BNE's work. The company claims that if it pays 40% tax it will be left with little or no profit.

Irish investors have stumped up $6m for BNE's project, while the company sent a shipment of oil to a Houston refinery late last year, netting BNE $2m in revenue.

Morrice and her husband, Alex Cranberg, both attended a Tony Quinn seminar in the Bahamas in 2002.

She described Quinn's 'Ecudor' seminar as being about "learning from within . . . by being, by truly living. It's about big thinking globally but also in terms of using 100% of your mind", she told a local newspaper.