Pastor Rocke, who has kept a low profile in the wake of the controversial vote, was candid earlier today when he explained to News Five the rationale behind the vote not to support a Senate Select Committee. In breaking his silence, he says that while he did not object to an investigation, the counterproposal made […]
On Thursday, the president of the Belize Association of Evangelical Churches was castigated by Pastor Louis Wade who claims that Pastor Howell Longsworth is a functionary of the U.D.P. Wade alleges that Pastor Rocke’s vote may have been influenced. Today, we put that question to Pastor Longsworth who flatly rejected the allegation. Isani Cayetano […]
Section Fifty-three…will it be appealed by the churches? It’s a position that is yet to be formalized following a meeting today with Prime Minister Barrow. This afternoon, representatives of the Belize Council of Churches and the National Evangelical Association of Belize sat down with PM Barrow to discuss the section of the Criminal Code that […]
Dorian Pakeman, he is the Director of the Government’s Press Office and a familiar face at Government press conferences and other official events. But earlier this year he became part of the news cycle when, back on March thirtieth in Biscayne village, Belize District, he knocked down and killed forty-five year old Dean Dawson, a […]
An infant was kidnapped last week from his home in the village of Bella Vista in southern Belize. There was little information to go by at the time because the mother of the child, Yosselyn Ordones, did not want to aggravate the abductors. All that was known was that the kidnappers grabbed the child when […]
The Belize Bus Owners Cooperative (BBOC) and ADO bus company of Mexico have escalated a rivalry over a key bus run in the North of Belize. Beginning this morning, ADO, which runs a special night service between Belize City and Cancun and Merida, Mexico is operating an eleven a.m. run on the same route; but […]
The driver faces charges of obstruction, assault of a police officer and disorderly conduct. Senior Superintendent Dawson explained that apart from transport issues, the police were mostly interested in restoring order to traffic in the busy area and he believes the situation could possibly have been handled differently. Sr. Supt. Alden Dawson, Dep. Regional […]
The Senate on Wednesday rejected a motion for a senate select investigation into the Immigration scandal. On Thursday, the Prime Minister announced that the Chamber of Commerce would support a bicameral investigation. The N.T.U.C.B., however, says it was taken by surprise when it found out that the business community has opted for a Joint Select […]
Trade unionist Elena Smith is the last senator standing among her social partner colleagues, based on an informal process of elimination conducted by Prime Minister Barrow on Thursday. During a press conference to discuss the Auditor General’s report, PM Barrow disregarded senators Ashley Rocke and Mark Lizarraga as potential chairs of the Joint Select Committee. […]
Senator Ashley Rocke has come under intense scrutiny from the churches, whom he represents in upper parliament, since voting against the Senate Select Taskforce. In the aftermath of that critical vote, other organizations, including the N.T.U.C.B. continue to criticize the embattled pastor for his reversal in the vote. While President Mora admits that the matter […]
News Five tried today to seek comment from the Office of Auditor General Dorothy Bradley concerning the Immigration Special Audit Reports. But she was unavailable. However, we have received reliable information which suggests that she is seeking legal advice based on the comments made by Prime Minister Dean Barrow and Minister for Immigration Senator Godwin […]
Was the motion presented by Senator Rocke today originally crafted in the office of the Prime Minister and presented as the Church’s motion. More importantly, Senator Rocke said during the meeting that there were consultations between the Churches and the other social partners – meaning the trade unions and civil society and the business community […]
The Special Audit on Immigration has exposed rampant corruption within the Department of Immigration. Thirteen ministers, past and present, as well as senior officers and politically connected persons have been fingered in the investigation that covered a two year period, 2011-2013. Today, the Prime Minister in one of his lengthiest press conferences discussed one of […]
The audit was triggered by the scandalous Won Hong Kim fiasco involving then Minister of State Elvin Penner and has unearthed the rampant sale of Belizean nationality to persons who had not even been to Belize and in other cases who got their nationality having arrived in Belize for a day. Now, having apologized and […]
At the Senate Meeting on Wednesday, the People’s United Party proposed a motion for a senate select investigation into the immigration irregularities. This is the second time that that motion has been put to the floor and the second time that it has been defeated. Prematurely, as it turns out, lead senate for government, Godwin […]
The composition of the Joint Special Select Committee also came into question during this afternoon’s press conference. Among the concerns raised is the fact that the combined task force will be made up of a majority of representatives from the Barrow administration. While the working group will be chaired by a senator from among the […]
Another issue of national importance which has deeply divided the people is the decision not to appeal the recent ruling on Section Fifty-three of the Criminal Code. The decision from Chief Justice Kenneth Benjamin decriminalizes sexual acts between adults in private. But there appears to be some room to maneuver, because the PM is meeting […]
As we told you earlier, there was a meeting on Wednesday morning between the Prime Minister and the Belize Chamber of Commerce and Industry. The Chamber called on the government to accede the UN Convention on Anti-Corruption. Barrow had resisted signing the convention, but reeling from scandal to scandal, the PM has agreed with the […]
A hundred and forty countries, members of the United Nations, have already signed on to the UNCAC. Barrow believes that the stringent requirements of the convention can further complicate matters for Belize at the international level. Citing the ongoing correspondent banking crisis, PM Barrow notes that failure to live up to the obligations of the […]
Another protest took place today in Belmopan, the second for this week against the government. Today’s demonstration was mounted by the People’s United Party outside the Senate where a respectable number of supporters came out to take a stand against a long list of ills affecting the nation and to support opposition senators. It is […]
Just before six this evening, the senate concluded proceedings with a vote that defeated a motion for a senate investigation. It was a long session that had to do with a number of motions including the passage of two supplementary appropriation bills as well as the debate on the Special Audit of the Immigration and […]
That motion for a select senate investigation on the policies and processes as well as on the issuance of passports and irregularities and wrongdoings was seconded by senators representing the unions and the business community, respectively. Senator Elena Smith rose to state that the glaring disregard for procedures in applying for and receiving visas and […]
As we said earlier, Church Senator Ashley Rocke rose to support the motion on the senate floor when it was introduced to further investigate what went so wrong at the Immigration Department. Senator Stephen Duncan of the government side questions whether Senate was the proper body to carry out an investigation. Ashley Rocke, Senator for […]
Doctor Senator Carla Barnett did not necessarily reject an investigation, but questioned the usefulness of senate select committees. Barnett queried why the audit was not presented to the management of the department before it was tabled. She pointed out that the senate doesn’t have authority to hold people accountable. That aside, Chebat, who sat in […]
While the senate meeting today had a far more respectable ambience when compared to last Friday’s House Sitting, there was some back and forth. It came when Senator Paul Thompson quoted from the report on recommendations made by former minister of state Santiago Castillo. Senator Hulse was quick on his feet. Paul Thompson, P.U.P. […]
