Prime Minister Dean Barrow will be leaving over the weekend for medical treatment in the United States, but this morning, he faced a firestorm in respect of the recent passport and visa scandals that have rocked the Ministry of Immigration and Nationality and have shaken his Administration to the core. A number of bills came […]
The second amendment is the Belizean Nationality Amendment Bill which seeks to make more efficient the process by which Belizean nationality can be obtained by registration. This revision also allows for increased penalties for breach of the provisions and the establishment of a nationality scrutinizing committee in which the Prime Minister indicated that social partners […]
Lastly, the Passport Amendment Bill also sees the introduction of stringent penalties for persons found guilty of unlawfully aiding the acquisition of a Belizean passport. This proposal is in light of recent measures taken by the Minister of Immigration, Godwin Hulse, to address the loopholes in the existing immigration system. And while the price for […]
With the proposed amendment bills out of the way, the sparring got underway. There was a fiery exchange between P.M. Barrow and Opposition Leader, Francis Fonseca, regarding the investigations into the passport and visa scandals. The prime minister’s took a walk down memory lane on what transpired during past P.U.P. administrations on the very issue […]
We left you with the sparring between the Prime Minister and the Leader of the Opposition. Well that continued with the excoriation of the former P.U.P. administration. Barrow addressed the 2002 immigration scandal involving erstwhile Minister Maxwell Samuels. The past prime minister, he says, did nothing to discipline Samuels when it was discovered that he […]
The Court of Appeal handed down a number of decisions today. This afternoon, it ruled in favour of Dunkeld International Investments Limited, one of the beneficiaries of the Telemedia shares that were acquired by the Government in 2009. The Government had sued Dunkeld and obtained an injunction from the Supreme Court preventing Dunkeld from proceeding […]
For many years, News Five has been covering the birthday celebrations held for April the Tapir. But after thirty years of being in existence and a main attraction at the Belize Zoo, April passed away on Thursday night. Duane Moody, Reporting World and national tapir day is celebrated every year in late April and […]
Yo Creek resident Jorge Blanco was brutally murdered as he drove home through Sand Hill at around midday last Friday. Blanco was with three other persons when he was shot in the head, as the delivery truck he was driving stopped at a speed-bump near the junction of the Maskall Road. The other men in […]
Minister of State Edmond Castro first denied that he knew anything about Chinese visa. Later he said he had made one recommendation. And this week, Castro says he admitted that he wrote to the Immigration Department recommending five visas for Chinese nationals. Other U.D.P. ministers have said that this is something they do for their […]
According to Saldivar, he calls so he can see the visa process through. We’re not sure why a Minister completely outside the Immigration Department should be able to do that. Still, it happens. Saldivar did not say who he calls when he intervenes in the visa process, but his sister, Candelaria Saldivar, is the Chief […]
As we reported on Wednesday, the People’s United Party is organizing a massive demonstration outside of the National Assembly during this Friday’s sitting of the House of Representatives in Belmopan. The cause for protest, says Deputy Chairman Julius Espat, is the rife corruption within the Barrow administration. The P.U.P. is in the process of mobilizing […]
Tonight, we can report that a female inmate at the Belize Central Prison is home on bail. Thirty-six year old Jaziba Nasser is an eight months pregnant woman who was incarcerated last Thursday along with her husband, Nazim and their two teenage sons, Jamil and Hilal. Their arrests and subsequent remand came following the discovery […]
It was with the assistance from friends of the Nasser family and members of the Lebanese Community who posted bail and assisted with the process that this afternoon, Jaziba Nasser, was released from the confines of the Belize Central Prison. While not revealing too much information on the case, Ahmir Zriba told News Five that […]
Businessman Michael Coye is home tonight. The Court of Appeal granted Michael, the sixty-seven year old former proprietor of Money Exchange International Limited, bail in the sum of ten thousand dollars pending appeal of his conviction for money laundering offenses two years ago. Michael, his daughter Melonie and two employees along with the company were […]
There is a brutal murder to report tonight; a Canadian woman was stabbed to death at her house sometime on Tuesday evening. Her body was found in a pool of blood in her living room. Neighbors say they heard screams but did not see anyone entering the house of Patricia Lynn Nichiporowich who had been […]
The P.U.P. has reached the threshold to trigger the recall mechanism in Cayo Northeast. In fact, the party has exceeded the threshold and continues to gather signatures. Meanwhile, Elvin Penner is still sitting in his government ride enjoying the perks of his position, with no indication if he will resign. While the recall process for […]
The P.U.P. will be in Belmopan on Friday, and we don’t mean just inside the House. Deputy Leader Julius Espat has confirmed that the party will be organizing a protest in front of the National Assembly to coincide with the sitting of the House of Representatives. It’s not clear if other parties will be joining […]
The man in the visa hot-seat, Minister of State Edmund Castro, continues to dodge the media at every turn. Apart from a lengthy press release in which he remembers recommending five visas for Chinese nations, he has been a slippery fellow. Today, Castro’s attorney, Rodwell Williams, filed a lawsuit against Great Belize Production, but as […]
It has now been forty days since the Wonhong Kim passport scandal highlighted the corruption in the Immigration Department. The matter is of national and even international importance, but while there has been no scarcity of rhetoric, there has been a scarcity of concrete, factual information. It is not even clear if the investigation is […]
On Tuesday, shocking surveillance footage of a police shakedown involving a university student surfaced in the media, following several attempts by the family of the young man to settle the matter quietly. Well, this morning Tyrell Hyde returned to News Five to further vent his frustration with the lackadaisical manner in which the police department […]
Tyrell Hyde is unhappy with the Police response to his complaint. He has presented video evidence which shows the officers involved. He even has witnesses who will corroborate his story. And still the Police seem to be dragging their feet. That’s how Tyrell feels, and it’s probably justified, since aside from his rights being abused […]
There are new developments in the immigration department corruption scandal tonight. First, News Five has been able to confirm that at least six public officers from that department have been summarily transferred, effective immediately. That’s just what we know for sure, but inside information to us suggests that there is a sweep underway which will […]
Acting Director of Immigration, Maria Marin, is the person who called for the suspension of three passport department staffers early in the administrative investigation. Sharon Neal-Flowers was the head of the passport section in Belmopan. She and two data entry clerks, Omar Phillips and Erwin Robinson were put on suspension just days after the Wonhong […]
This afternoon at two-thirty, senior officials of the Ministry of Immigration met with members of the National Trade Union Congress of Belize and social partners. The meeting was held in Belmopan at the brand new government office of Minister Godwin Hulse. News Five didn’t get to speak to Minister Hulse while we were there, and […]
While Ministry of Immigration officials met with the N.T.U.C.B., there was another very important meeting taking place not too far away. Cabinet met until nearly three this afternoon, and Minister Edmond Castro was in attendance. News Five waited downstairs to speak to Castro, but he dodged us again. His government ride was parked in front […]
