The use of the boats, says the prime minister, isn’t a decision that he would have taken; however, he says that Saldivar will not be using those vessels for future private excursions. Prime Minister Dean Barrow “My own opinion, my own sense of what ought to be done and what ought not be done […]
The conduct of Yellow Man during the May seventeenth meeting of the Senate Special Select Committee has been widely condemned, following verbal threats he made to members of the media at that hearing. His fate as sergeant at arms of the House of Representatives now hangs in the balance, pending a decision by the National […]
Because of his unbecoming behavior, there are loud calls for Yellow Man’s removal since as mace bearer he should be upholding the dignity of the House. Senior Minister Michael Finnegan told News Five that Yellow Man’s actions against the media cannot be condoned. Michael Finnegan, Area Rep., Mesopotamia “What he did in my view […]
Yellow Man will get his day before the National Assembly Staff Committee. They will decide what course of action, if any, will be taken following the Mace-bearer’s behavior at the senate hearings two weeks ago. DPM Patrick Faber says that what happened was unfortunate, and because of Audinett’s role within the National Assembly, appropriate steps […]
Wednesday’s public hearings of the Senate Special Select Committee were dominated by a woman whose name never appeared in the Auditor General’s Special Report on Immigration 2011-2013. But Alvarene Burgess was a fountain of information as to her personal dealings with Ministers of Government on visa recommendations. She started her testimony with a bombshell – […]
While Edmond Castro was Alvarene Burgess’ main contact, on a few occasions, she had to go elsewhere to get recommendations when he was out of the country. Once, she turned to Minister of Trade and Investment Erwin Contreras when she needed a group of Asians recommended for their visas to be approved. On two other […]
Burgess testified that, to her knowledge, no visa for which she obtained a minister’s recommendation was rejected. This buttressed previous testimony that Immigration staff considered a minister’s intervention tantamount to approval from on high and passed on the files without serious consideration of the worthiness of the applicants. Burgess also stated that even after the […]
Reaction to the testimony of Alvarene Burgess has been sharply divided along political lines. The Government’s supporters believe she has no basis for her claims; the Opposition has largely cheered her on. On Wednesday, Opposition Leader John Briceño sat in the gallery and watched it all. He told reporters that he doesn’t think she has […]
Chairman of the Senate Special Select Committee, Aldo Salazar says there are only few witnesses left to testify before the committee and his recommendation is for an early end to the hearings. But other members of the committee have indicated that there is still an extensive list of witnesses to be called before the panel. […]
Orange Walk North area representative and former Deputy Prime Minister Gaspar Vega has not attended a single meeting of the House of Representatives since October last, after resigning from Cabinet. He has made no public statements and actively seems to be avoiding public scrutiny in the wake of various land deals exposed for alleged crookedness […]
One of the biggest private sector employers is trimming down the size of its work force. And the jobs of at least two hundred and thirty employees are on the line. Ready Call has announced that it is cutting off the TracFone Wireless service, which means that staff will become redundant as of the end […]
Deputy Prime Minister Patrick Faber, along with Ministers Manuel Heredia Junior, and Minister Angel Campos concluded an official visit to the Republic of Cuba on Monday. The delegation met with Cuba’s Vice President Salvador Valdes Mesa, as well as with several government Ministers and technical experts. They engaged in discussions on issues of collaboration for multi-destination […]
For the past five years, we have shared with you many stories of the Skills Training Center in the Collet Division since it opened its doors. But on Wednesday, the center received its official name after a local face. Frank Lizama who operates his art business on Cemetery Road was bestowed with the honour of […]
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations celebrated the first World Milk Day in 2001. It was meant to be a day to remind people across the world of the health benefits of milk and the hard work of farmers. Milk today is still a common food source across the globe and with […]
Belize Rural North Area Representative Edmond ‘Clear the Land’ Castro was the trending topic today, following a statement from his office confirming the embarrassing cancellation of his diplomatic and tourist visas by the United States Embassy. Perhaps most stridently, was the rate at which his name was being called during today’s senate hearing where whistleblower […]
Castro’s Chief Executive Officer, Ruth Meighan, a former Immigration Director, was also denied entry into the U.S. in late July, 2016. Together, neither the minister nor his C.E.O. can visit or transit through that country. Castro maintained today that he has no interest in finding out the reason why his visa was canceled. When asked […]
The Senate Select Inquiry on the Immigration Department resumed today in Belmopan. And after going toe-to-toe with former friend and Government Minister Edmond Castro in the courts and on this television station, whistleblower Alvarene Burgess appeared before the Senate Special Select Committee. This despite Senator Aldo Salazar’s position that there was no need for her […]
Burgess told the senate panel that she learned that the U.S. Embassy had at least two recordings of her conversations with Castro and other persons whom she could not recall. That further frightened her into stopping her activities and eventually coming forward when the Penner scandal broke and she heard the Prime Minister say that […]
But why was Alvarene Burgess recruited into the visa recommendation scheme? Was it because she had access to the top players? Committee Chair Aldo Salazar repeatedly asked, but Burgess’ answer remained the same: a conversation between the other players in the ring left her on the hook. Alvarene Burgess, Whistleblower “I am assuming that […]
The Committee’s first witness today was former Ambassador of Belize to the Republic of China (Taiwan), Cherie Nisbet. She was at post when South Korean businessman turned fugitive Won Hong Kim was granted citizenship despite never setting foot in Belize. Her office was contacted by then-Deputy Mayor Eric Chang after he heard of Kim’s issues […]
Even with a week’s absence, the Senate Special Select Committee has not been absent from the news headlines. When we last left it on May seventeenth, it had descended into farce after the U.D.P. Chairman Alberto August and macebearer Brian “Yellow Man” Audinette hijacked the proceedings. Due to reports of an attempt to spark another […]
It has come out in court and today in the senate that Minister Edmond Castro has been involved in countless recommendations for Asians at a fee; in fact, his name is mentioned several times within the Auditor General’s Special Report. So is this the reason for the cancellation of his visa? Today, Castro’s cabinet colleague […]
The matter of the visa cancellation was discussed in the Cabinet on Tuesday, but Government has not received any notification from the U.S. about what has transpired and why. Deputy Prime Minister Patrick Faber says that while the look of it is not a good one, the circumstances are still unknown. In that same light, […]
Today, the Opposition and COLA pounced on the heels of the revocation of Castro’s visas. P.U.P. Leader John Briceño and Cayo South’s Julius Espat called for Castro’s removal, while Geovannie Brackett called on the Prime Minister to break his silence. Geovannie Brackett, President, C.O.L.A. “I think that if you check not only him – […]
One lone U.D.P. minister who says that the senate inquiry has not run its course is Mesopotamia area rep, Michael Finnegan. He says that it is the prerogative of the Senate Special Select Committee to determine when the hearings should come to an end. Finnegan says that the proceedings have revealed that there’s corruption within […]
