There is a major development today in respect of the allegation against investor Bradley Paumen, the owner of Dark Night, who is accused of ordering hits against four people. And even if it may seem coincidental, indications are that Royal Caribbean Cruise Line has pulled the plug on Dark Night Cave Tubing Tours. As we’ve […]
After his arraignment, Paumen was successful in renewing his tour operator’s license despite being served notice by B.T.B. that they were aware that Dark Night was operating without a valid license since the beginning of the year. The B.T.B. says that Paumen’s indictment has nothing to do with his ability to satisfy the necessary requirements […]
And did B.T.B. have a role in the acquisition by Paumen of the controversial piece of land or the co-management agreement presently in place with the National Institute of Culture and History? Its immediate responsibility, according to Javier Paredes, has nothing to do with the issuance of land or co-management agreements. And he asserts that […]
The unsolved murder of ABC producer Anne Swaney, an American tourist who was killed while vacationing in Belize on January fifteenth, is another black eye for the country. Not only are the circumstances surrounding her death baffling, but Belize has been receiving a lot of negative international publicity in the wake of the homicide. So, […]
Tour operator Yhony Rosado was in the news on Monday, criticizing government at a press conference called by the Federation of Cruise Tourism Associations of Belize. These small operators feel that Government, the B.T.B. and NICH continue to confer unfair privileges and favors on large foreign operators like Chukka and Dark Night. They feel that […]
Rosado told us this afternoon that he will stay closed until he gets his trade license, whenever that is. He’ll do it, but he’s not happy about the situation and says that while foreigners can access all the services of G.O.B. with the greatest of ease, Belizeans are treated like second and third-rate citizens in […]
Czech national Martin Muzikant is on lock down tonight after appearing in the Orange Walk Magistrate’s Court on a string of immigration offences. He was busted on Sunday afternoon in Orange Walk Town, almost two years after being expelled from Belize for unlawful possession of a passport. Muzikant, who also goes by the name Petr […]
COLA’s fear, according to President Geovanni Brackett, is that in the wake of the Nanes Schnitzer debacle and the recent murder of Anne Swaney, Belize will only be getting another black eye if the Muzikant matter is not handled properly. Geovanni Brackett, President, COLA “Why we are concerned about it is that right now […]
The Government of Belize has been dealt another blow, on the heels of a recent loss in the Supreme Court where Justice Courtenay Abel ruled in favor of Titan International Securities awarding the company eight point nine million dollars. This time however, it is a lawsuit filed by Melonie Coye and Money Exchange International Limited […]
Prime Minister Dean Barrow was visibly angry when we asked him about another judgment against G.O.B. recently. That one concerns Titan Securities. Government has been ordered to pay almost nine million dollars in damages. Added to the Melonie Coye judgment, G.O.B. is looking at payment of more than twelve million dollars for two cases in […]
And our question for tonight is: Do you believe big foreign tour operators are getting the better deal over local tour operators? Send your comments and responses using your SMART phones to 8686 or post your vote on our e-poll at channel5belize.com. You can also send an email with your comments to questions@channel5belize.com
A sixty-two-year-old resident of Biscayne, Belize District was released this morning by the police following a bizarre case of domestic violence with a fatal outcome. Moszetta Reyes provided today vivid details of her ordeal in which acting in self-defense, she ended the life of her abusive son-in-law. The violence started on Thursday night when Arthur […]
Also along the Phillip Goldson Highway, mayhem outside of a local bar in Ladyville left one person injured during a scuffle involving five men over the weekend. On Saturday night, twenty-eight-year-old Kareem Arnold was out socializing when he got into a physical altercation with a group of men. In the course of the brawl, Arnold […]
A single mother and her five children lost everything when a fire gutted their house in Scotland Halfmoon, Belize District. As they try to pick up the pieces to restore normalcy to their lives, police confirm it is a case of arson, but no one will be charged. And that’s because the fire at the […]
Thirty-one-year-old Glenfield Dennison, a Belizean law student in Guyana, has been taken off life-support after being shot multiple times in Georgetown on Thursday night. Dennison, who is presently attending the University of Guyana, was returning to his residence at Cummings Lodge after reportedly dropping off his girlfriend, a fellow student at UG, when he was […]
Today, FECTAB called a press conference to air concerns which they are facing in the industry, and called on government to hear them and act on a number of issues. The umbrella organization has maintained a contentious relationship with large foreign companies Dark Night and Chukka, claiming that they have been given unfair advantages. The […]
FECTAB member and tour operator Yhony Rosado says they deliberately waited until after elections to come public, since they didn’t want to be tarred with a political brush. Still, he says, they are forced to come out now because the small tour operators are losing their livelihoods due to government policies. One major problem, says […]
FECTAB also weighed in on the situation surrounding the now halted Stake Bank project. Developer Mike Feinstein has requested exclusivity from Government or at the very least a tangible show of support to allow him to recover his investment in the long term. Government has responded by stating that it is not prepared to offer […]
The very curious tale of Dark Night owner and alleged murder contractor Bradley Paumen continues to dominate local headlines. The American investor has been charged for putting a hit on four persons – all over a piece of land which blocks access to Dark Night’s caves. Just for background, in mid-2015 the Supreme Court quashed […]
As the Paumen story continues to unravel, two of his employees were granted bail after appearing before Justice Antoinette Moore this morning in the Supreme Court. Ian Skeen and Linzburn Anderson were arrested and charged earlier this week for their individual roles in an alleged plot to commit murder. Skeen was additionally charged with abetment […]
In November the Government of Belize was humiliated after Mexican-American fugitive David Nanes Schnitzer slipped out of its grasp with the greatest of ease. Nanes had been formally requested by Mexico, and located in San Pedro with the assistance of U.S. Marshalls. But days after, he was granted bail of ten thousand dollars and vanished […]
Nanes was found in possession of a number of illegal Belizean documents including a fraudulent passport, was remanded in custody and then got bail despite an extradition request by Mexican authorities for the wanted businessman. In the wake of his flight, many, including United States Ambassador and former California Supreme Court Judge, Carlos Moreno, and […]
Prime Minister Dean Barrow has called the loss of correspondent bank relationships an existential threat and a potentially huge crisis. And undoubtedly, if not resolved the implications are many and significant – from what would be an inability to purchase goods and services from the U.S. In a recent interview, Barrow indicated that he is […]
Even as the Prime Minister continues to arrange a round of intensive meetings and lobbying sessions in the international forum, he told News Five that it is important that it be understood that de-risking is not a result of any problem with our jurisdiction. Prime Minister Dean Barrow “The official line from the banks…Bank […]
A Belizean law student is clinging to life tonight after being shot to the chest and arm in Georgetown, Guyana on Thursday night. Thirty-one-year-old Glenfield Dennison, a resident of Cummings Lodge at the University of Guyana, was injured sometime around nine o’clock Guyanese time, while standing on the roadside near his home. A newspaper report […]
