Popular beat boxing talent Erron Golanche, a member of the musical group Acafellas, lost his life on Friday night during a tragic hit and run in Orange Walk Town. Details of the road traffic accident are not forthcoming from the police department. What we do know is that Golanche was seated on a motorcycle and […]
On Thursday, Minister of State with Responsibility for Immigration, Elvin Penner, was fired for his alleged involvement in a scandal at that department. News Five has confirmed that the termination of Penner is related to the nationality certificate and a passport which was processed and issued to South Korean national. That person has been identified […]
The former Executive Director of the Social Investment Fund, Daniel Cano, came forward on Thursday to speak about a one week old scandal of corruption that has rocked the SIF. Cano was required to resign and four others were fired following claims of extortion by contractor, Kenard Smart. On Tuesday, the Corozal-based contractor, who has […]
Kenard Smart’s relationship with the Social Investment Fund, prior to allegations of financial misconduct, has been a rather shaky affair. In January 2011, there was controversy surrounding a contract awarded to him for the construction of the Gulisi School in Dangriga. Despite that conflict, Smart would go on to secure additional contracts from SIF for […]
Of the four employees that were terminated from SIF on Tuesday, public relations officer Mike Hernandez says that the check he received from Kenard Smart, in the sum of five hundred dollars, was a gift for the cordial relationship the organization shared with the contractor during the course of the year. Admittedly, since SIF has […]
Almost every week night there is at least one instance of sexual deviants preying on minors to report. Each of those crimes is heinous in its own right, but tonight one such case is doubly so. That’s because on Tuesday, it is alleged that a couple from Ladyville tag-teamed to sexually assault a fourteen year […]
The partially nude body of twenty-four-year-old Ferris Torres was discovered inside the sports council’s office in Independence Village on Thursday morning. Shortly before nine a.m., police visited the Michael Ashcroft Stadium where they found the caretaker lying face down with what appeared to be abrasions to both knees. While there were no other apparent signs […]
A year ago, the very vocal Yhony Rosado was charged with a firearm offense. He spent one night in jail, but maintained all along that he was innocent of the charge which was made following complaints by his competition. This morning, he made his way back to the Belmopan Magistrate court where his lawyer made […]
Elvin Penner is no longer a Minister of State in the current administration. That’s because he was required to resign with immediate effect from that post by Prime Minister Dean Barrow on Wednesday evening following a meeting at the P.M.’s office at the Whitfield Tower on Coney Drive, Belize City. Penner was appointed Minister of […]
And now to the facts of the story…why was Ministry of State so summarily and brutally dismissed? Using the trail of breadcrumbs to the Immigration Department so thoughtfully provided by the Prime Minister, News Five did some digging today. Although nobody was providing any official information, we were able to get some confirmation. To start […]
Ironically, this isn’t the first time Penner has been accused of being involved in the fast-tracking of documents. In 2012, just before general elections, he came under fire when the Ministry of Immigration engaged in an unprecedented mass-nationalization of immigrants. Nobody on the government side bothered to hide the fact that it was purely a […]
The scandal involving the Dangriga Municipal Market and employees of the Social Investment Fund continues to unravel. This afternoon, former executive director Daniel Cano faced the music and held a press conference to clear up a number of allegations made against him. Cano was relieved of his duties on Tuesday in the wake of the […]
The contention is that SIF never entered into a contractual arrangement with financiers, Lyndon Bailey or Gush and Emy Ramirez; therefore, the agency is not responsible for compensating them for losses incurred as a result of the project’s failure. Notwithstanding, a written letter from Project Manager, Ernest Raymond, to Scotia Bank confirming that a payment […]
Allegations of bribery, placed squarely at Cano’s feet, are also being passionately denied. Cano says he had nothing to do with an alleged inducement of eleven thousand dollars purportedly paid to him in two installments. Despite his knowledge of the allegations against the other four men, he allowed his staff to get away with a […]
The Former Executive Director of SIF, Daniel Cano, spoke for the first time today since his resignation following the scandal of the Dangriga Municipal Market. It’s an issue that won’t go away because there are serious implications which involve international funding agencies. We asked Leader of the Opposition, Francis Fonseca, to weigh in on the […]
The dust is yet to settle on the sandal at the Social Investment Fund which led to the resignation of Executive Director Daniel Cano and the termination of Mike Hernandez, Enrique Romero, Faustino Pineda and Lionel Jimenez. It’s a story that we have been following since last Thursday which has exposed corruption within SIF in […]
San Pedro police are tonight investigating a shooting incident in which two people were injured shortly before midday. Reports are that two men were involved in an altercation in the vicinity of the airstrip at about eleven-thirty when one of them produced a firearm. During the struggle, several shots were fired hitting a primary school […]
There was mayhem today in Orange Walk as commuters were unable to drive through the San Estevan road to get to their destinations. The stretch of road which links San Estevan to the Philip Goldson Highway was to have been paved since the start of the year, but that hasn’t happened. And with the heavy […]
In July, the Caribbean Research Development Institute, CARDI and the Technical Center for Agriculture and Rural Cooperation, CTA, launched the third Regional Excellence in Agricultural Journalism Awards. The theme this year was Achieving Food Security through Regional Cooperation, and journalists from across the region were invited to participate. Once again, News Five’s Isani Cayetano has […]
Six past presidents of the Belize Tourism Industry Association have jointly signed a letter opposing the Norwegian Cruise Line Project at Harvest Caye because it goes contrary to Sustainable Tourism Master Plan for the south. But today, after weeks of silence, representatives from NCL say they are picking up support where it matters. Hugh Darley, […]
Cruise Sub-committee Chairman Roger Espejo says that the Belize Tourism Board is actively participating in a readiness consultation in the south to field questions and concerns from stakeholders who are interested in the project. Roger Espejo, Cruise Sub-committee Chairman, B.T.B. “The consultation is very important and we want to send that message very clearly. […]
This afternoon, the Belize Tourism Board issued an apology to all Belizeans. It is a first for the B.T.B. which came under fire from artists as well as from many sectors over a musical track by Aurelio Martinez for the “Discover How To Be” Belize promotional video. The general complaint since the launch of the […]
The Port of Belize has been going through a phased out modernization program. In the past months, new equipment has been acquired, construction work continues to take place to improve and upgrade the facilities and customers are benefitting from improved security and services. This morning, Receiver and C.E.O., Arturo “Tux” Vasquez, discussed a wide range […]
There is a purge of the Social Investment Fund. And tonight, four employees: Mike Hernandez, Enrique Romero, Faustino Pineda and Lionel Jimenez have been sent home, while their boss, the Executive Director, Daniel Cano, was asked to step down following an emergency meeting on Monday afternoon of the SIF Board. Their dismissal comes on the […]
The woman accused of murdering her three small children in April appeared in Magistrate’s Court this morning. Twenty-two year old Felicia Chen allegedly drowned four year old Triana Teul, three year old Thomas Teul and one year old Trinaya Teul in the sea near Belizean Beach in April twenty seventh. She reportedly attempted to do […]
