Former airport CEO arrested for theft

It was not long after the change of government in August that reports began to surface of alleged improprieties at the Belize Airports Authority. And while the newly appointed Authority has been carefully examining the acts of its predecessor, police this week have made their first arrest. Rurico Alvarado, former Chief Executive Officer of the B.A.A., has been charged with theft arising from the 1996 issuing of a seven thousand dollar check to his father-in-law, allegedly to purchase office supplies which were never delivered. The check was cashed by Alvarado’s wife. Over a year later, following the defeat of the U.D.P., Alvarado gave the money back to the Authority, but that act may have only proved to confirm the alleged theft. A recently published audit of the Authority’s finances indicates that controls at the statutory body were loose at best and politically motivated donations to organizations and individuals were made routinely from government funds. It is believed that the Authority is also considering civil suits against Alvarado and other former officials.