On October twenty-third, in the midst of an investigation into massive corruption in the Immigration Department, a confidential informant came forward. She provided a firsthand account of meetings in which she paid Minister of State Edmund Castro money to facilitate and expedite visas for Chinese nationals. She detailed the entire process – from delivering the […]
Alverine Burgess’ ordeal at the U.S. Embassy lasted three hours, and she says that faced with intense interrogation and recorded evidence, she told them all she knew. That includes names of all the persons involved with her in the facilitation of visas for Chinese nationals, and Castro is allegedly right in the middle of it […]
So what happens next? Well Minister of State Edmund Castro has sued Alverine Burgess, but she’s not fazed in the slightest. In fact, she says that she is prepared and even anxious to tell her story in Court, because it is the truth and she’s prepared to stand behind it. Burgess claims that when she […]
The Caribbean Court of Justice today heard an application against the governments of Belize and Trinidad in which Maurice Tomlinson is challenging the immigration laws of both countries. The hearing was scheduled for two days, but it concluded today, shortly after noon. Tomlinson is Jamaica’s prominent supporter of the rights of lesbians, gays, bisexuals and […]
Tonight there are very credible reports that University of Belize President Carey Fraser is contemplating resignation from the institution. Dr. Fraser has been President for two years, and came to Belize from Pennsylvania State University. In his very few interactions with the media, Dr. Fraser has been circumspect, but there have been challenges at the […]
Tonight, eight men remain in lockdown in San Ignacio following the discovery of what are believed to be chemicals used in the manufacture of the drug methamphetamine. A Police Quick Response Team was on patrol in the Bullet Tree area when they noticed a container truck parked on the side of the road near the […]
We reported on Monday that two missionaries were fined for failing to declare close to fifty thousand dollars. Tonight, another couple has been charged for the same offence and they are Chinese nationals. While their visas do not seem to have come under question, it was the money in their pockets that attracted the FIU’s […]
There has been relative peace in the City streets, but that was broken over the weekend when two stabbing victims succumbed to injuries. We start with the most recent murder, a Guatemalan national, twenty-eight year old Edgar Salazar who was stabbed on Coney Drive shortly after midnight on Sunday morning. He died minutes later at […]
In the other homicide…Kevin Anthony Jex was remanded on Friday for the attempted murder, dangerous harm and use of deadly means of harm upon former security guard of Brown Sugar Market Place, Desmond Miller. But tonight, that charge will be upgraded to murder after Miller passed away this morning. Last Tuesday evening, Miller was routinely […]
There is word tonight that police are looking for a staff member of the Ministry of Housing. The officer allegedly forged the signature of the Minister of Housing on vouchers for small grants recommended by Minister Michael Finnegan. The amount of money involved is said to be in the range of seven thousand dollars. The […]
At the last sitting of the House of Representatives on November first, the government tabled three amendment bills following public outcry in the immigration and visa scandal. The bills include the Immigration Amendment Bill, the Belizean Nationality Amendment Bill and the Passport Amendment Bill. The first of the three bills deals with the issuance of […]
When the government turned down the restructuring of the Public Accounts Committee, the Opposition walked out and the hearing continued by the committee made up only of Government ministers. Julius Espat, the P.U.P. Deputy Leader has been at the forefront of the charge to change the composition of the PAC. The social partners have […]
An American couple, a Pastor and his wife, were detained by the police and taken to court for failing to declare some twenty-eight thousand U.S. dollars, that’s a little under fifty thousand dollars when entering the jurisdiction. The couple who is from Minnesota apparently came to Belize attempting to start a new church, but the […]
When we caught up earlier today with the P.U.P. Deputy Leader, Julius Espat, he told us that the recall effort of U.D.P. Cayo Northeast area representative Elvin Penner is one step closer to becoming a reality for voters in that constituency. The opposition, he says, has garnered more than the prescribed number of signatures necessary […]
On his return to Belize on Thursday, Michael Joseph Silva was charged for the murder of Maritza Janet Santos, which occurred two years ago in San Ignacio. Police were called to the home Silva shared with his nineteen year old girlfriend, Maritza Santos in September 2011. She was dead and Silva was critically injured after […]
The woman accused of killing her three children on April twenty-seventh, 2013, appeared in Belize City Magistrate’s Court today for a preliminary inquiry into the matter. Twenty-two year old Felicia Chen spent almost five months in the psychiatric ward at the Belmopan Hospital before being remanded to the Belize Central Prison on September seventeenth. On […]
The Federation of Cruise Tourism Associations of Belize, FECTAB, called a press conference this morning; the association lived up to its reputation bringing down brimstone and fire. Led by president Tom Greenwood, FECTAB is once again up in arms over changes that have been implemented at the Fort Street Tourism Village, prior to the start […]
In light of the recent decision taken by the management of the Fort Street Tourism Village, president of the federation Tom Greenwood issued a stern warning that should there be a total shut out of independent operators, legal recourse is inevitable. According to Greenwood FECTAB is not going to sit back and allow anyone to […]
During the hour-long event an allegation was also made against an officer attached to the Tourism Police Unit, who reportedly manhandled Greenwood’s son a year ago. The matter is just coming to light, says Greenwood, because he hoped relations would improve with the Tourism Police Unit. While News Five has made several attempts to confirm […]
The Football Federation of Belize showed off its new team that will be competing in the upcoming regional Central American under sixteen tournament, this morning at the Biltmore Plaza. The Baby Jaguars will be watched closely because members of the team performed spectacularly at the inaugural CONCACAF tournament held in Caymans. The under sixteen games […]
The social partners are tonight expressing satisfaction that the majority of their recommendations were accepted to restructure the Public Accounts Committee, including a change to the working group. Those suggestions were presented by the Council of Churches, the unions, as well as the business sector during individual meetings with pro tem chairman John Saldivar. After […]
Two years ago Michael Silva left the country under a dark cloud. Then twenty-six years old, the young man was believed to have killed his nineteen year old girlfriend before drinking poison to take his own life. The tragedy occurred in a Kontiki Area home which Silva shared with Maritza Janet Santos. At the time […]
The family of businessman Michael Coye, who succumbed to a massive heart attack on Tuesday night just days after being released from the Belize Central Prison, is cash strapped and urgently requests that the Financial Intelligence Unit releases funds from bank accounts which have been frozen since 2009. The family has been living in dire […]
The Senate met on Wednesday in Belmopan to consider three bills, some housecleaning write-offs, but the hot button issue was a motion brought by Opposition Senator Lisa Shoman for the appointment of a Special Select Committee. In a nutshell, it was proposed that the Select Committee would investigate and inquire into any and all facets […]
And with that out of the way, the last two speakers were leader of government business Godwin Hulse and Opposition Senator Lisa Shoman. It was an unenviable position for Senator Hulse. He once fought for motions like the one being debated, and he is considered one of the champions of the SSB Senate Inquiry. But […]
