Earlier this week the Cotton Tree Village Council took the government of Belize to court over two hundred and fifty four lots. Those lots, allegedly within the community, are part of a large plot which was acquired and then subdivided by government. The lots are allegedly being given to eight U.D.P. Area Representatives in Belize […]
Turning to the courts…today, a well groomed and smiling Felicia Chen arrived at court extremely jovial but left crying after her case for murder was traversed to the next session of the Supreme Court which is set to commence in October. Chen is charged with the murder of three of her four children. This […]
In May 2012, Supreme Court Judge Samuel Lungole Awich was sworn in as a Justice of the Court of Appeal. That appointment was not supported by the Bar Association, and neither was the decision in May 2014 to renew and extend his contract. One of the criticisms levied against Justice Awich then and now is […]
The appointment has sparked off a heated, but surgical verbal flurry between Prime Minister Dean Barrow and President of the Bar Eamon Courtenay. Today Attorney-General Wilfred Elrington weighed in, venting his long-held frustration at a Bar Association which he says serves no useful purpose. Wilfred ‘Sedi’ Elrington, Attorney-General “The leadership of the Bar has […]
Months after its destitution, the Belize Airports Authority has a newly reconstituted board of directors. The former board was invited to step down in the wake of the Castro Checks Scandal in mid-January. The former executive committee, led by then chairman Kenworth Tillett, came under fire from for signing over thirty thousand dollars in invoices […]
The Alliance of Leaders and Ministers of Belize, led by Belize Can President Patrick Menzies today initiated the first phase of a move called Occupy Belmopan. The group is calling on all Belizeans to join in as they occupy the steps of the National Assembly to, in their words – teach, preach, pray and worship. […]
From Harmonyville to Holy Emmanuel and now, Belama Phase Five…squatting continues to be a pervasive issue. On April third, a number of families were chaotically evicted from the Holy Emmanuel Street because the area was needed for the construction of the Chetumal Street Bridge that will adjoin the north side to the south side of […]
And our question for tonight is: Do you believe the judicial system is collapsing? 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.
The Italian investors of the proposed billion-dollar Puerto Azul mega tourism development project on Northern Caye and Sandbore Caye, within the Lighthouse Reef Atoll, arrived in the country this afternoon. While the purpose of their visit is to clear the air on what has been reported in the local media since the introduction of the […]
On Saturday, the media was taken on a tour of the proposed site of the Puerto Azul Development. While the images offered a clear view of the pristine state of the eastern most point of the country, on the ground, there were obvious signs of debris along the shore. It is oceanic debris says Audubon’s […]
The academic year 2013 officially came to an end last Friday for high schools across the country. While most students are currently enjoying the beginning of their summer vacation, teachers from Sadie Vernon, Maud Williams and Excelsior high schools are collectively holding their breath in anticipation of a letter which is expected to be issued […]
Businessman Luke Espat is personally liable to the Belize Bank to the tune of twenty-nine point four million dollars. That’s the ruling which was handed down this afternoon by the Court of Appeal. Espat was before the court with his attorney, Said Musa, seeking leave to appeal a decision handed down by Justice Courtney Abel […]
At his press conference last week, Prime Minister Dean Barrow confirmed that the contract of Justice of Appeal Samuel Awich has been renewed and extended until he is seventy-five. The decision by the PM comes despite a resolution from the Bar Association withholding support for the Justice’s appointment. It is not the first time that […]
And then Courtenay really got doing, calling Prime Minister Dean Barrow a liar…not only that…but a Penner-loving, Castro-hugging liar. Eamon Courtenay, President, Bar Association “So for the Prime Minister to say that I am sweating fever for the Ashcroft Group because we lost the case in which Justice Awich is involved is a comprehensive […]
On Friday, the Supreme Court did away with G.O.B.’s injunction against BGYEA prohibiting that association from planting corn on sixty acres of land in Harmonyville which they say is a buffer zone. It was seen as a victory for the grassroots organization pending the hearing of the substantive matter. This morning government issued a press […]
Today, the Supreme Court heard an application from SATIIM et al for an injunction against the government of Belize and US Capital Energy. It’s was actually a post-judgment injunction, since a decision and a perfected order have both been delivered. SATIIM et al claims that the government is not following the orders of the court, […]
The case against US Capital and the Government of Belize, at its inception, was brought by SATIIM and five buffer communities. Still, at his press conference on Wednesday Prime Minister Dean Barrow made it exceptionally clear that while he is quite happy to host discussions, SATIIM will not be invited to the table. Attorney Eamon […]
Executive Director of SATIIM, Greg Ch’oc, also pulled no punches when he spoke to the media today. He was openly critical of the Prime Minister for the decision to bar SATIIM from the discussion…a discussion which they initiated and a fight they have maintained. Greg Ch’oc, Executive Director, SATIIM “I would have expected that […]
Gun violence has claimed the life of two men in fifteen hours; both murders are gang related as the city is gripped by a resurgence of gang warfare. At around ten-thirty this morning, a gunman opened fire on thirty-year old Tulio Caceres who was hanging out at Majestic Alley, considered hostile turf for the Taylor’s […]
The other victim of gun violence is twenty-two-year-old Kirk ‘Lenny’ Smith Junior who succumbed to gunshot injuries he received during an armed assault at a graduation party just after midnight on Sunday. Smith Junior was one of five persons wounded when gunfire erupted inside a packed hall at the Brown Sugar Marketplace, where friends and […]
The House of Representatives met this morning in the Capital. The sitting concluded shortly after two this afternoon. On adjournment, members from across the aisle on the Opposition side brought up a number of issues of national importance. The immigration scandal involving the illegal issuance of a passport and nationality certificate to a South Korean […]
The reappointment of Justice Samuel Awich to the bench of the Court of Appeal has been opposed by the Opposition and by the Bar Association which passed a resolution by consensus saying it had the appearance of bias because it came on the heels of a recent decision handed down in favor of the […]
The Puerto Azul development, the citadel of luxury in Belize…will it happen or not? Investors say it will, and they launched the project a couple weeks ago in Cannes. The conservation community has come out swinging asking for answers and transparency from the government following the appearance made by Minister of Investment Erwin Contreras and […]
The feisty Belize Grassroots Youth Empowerment Association, BGYEA, held a small, but significant rally last Saturday called Plant the Corn Rally. Today, it scored a first victory in the Supreme Court where Justice Courtney Abel handed down a decision quashing an injunction brought against the organization by the Government of Belize. BGYEA is determined to […]
While the executive of BGYEA is preparing to go back to its membership with good news, President Nigel Petillo was quite circumspect, avoiding the most pertinent question in the wake of the Supreme Court decision, to plant or not to plant the corn. Nigel Petillo, President, BGYEA “We’re glad that the court system worked […]
