If there would be a criminal investigation, the Police would then enter the picture, and so would the Director of Public Prosecutions. Both those entities will only act if summoned by the Director of Immigration. That hasn’t happened, but an intensive internal investigation is supposedly still ongoing. The D.P.P. however says that from what she […]
The Financial Intelligence Unit will be looking into the financial aspect of the passport scandal. That’s important, but not as important as the criminal aspect. The public outcry has been furious and unrestrained, with calls for Penner’s head going out nationwide. As you’ve seen and heard, the leader of the nation believes that Penner’s firing […]
A number of environmental agencies received grants today from the Protected Areas Conservation Trust, PACT. Over seven hundred and thirty six-thousand dollars were disbursed for new projects to small, medium and large organizations that protect, conserve as well as carry out education awareness on the environment. The umbrella organization for environmental agencies, APAMO, was the […]
The raging flames of the immigration scandal remain uncontained tonight and there is the very real possibility that its effect will be felt in the Cayo Northeast constituency in days to come. The People’s United Party has issued an ultimatum to area representative Elvin Penner to resign from the House of Representatives by Monday or […]
A number of Bills went before the Senate on Wednesday and were ratified. Aside from an amendment to the Criminal Code that is causing disquiet among the churches, there is the Trust Amendment Bill 2003 which makes provision for the mandatory registration of all domestic trusts. Shortly, it is to become law and in so […]
Of note is that the Insurance industry has been for some time one of the most regulated industries and has always had a supervisor of Insurance. Even with all that CLICO could not be saved. Now, the drafts of the Pensions Act, as well as the Pensions Regulations Act, were prepared by a legal consultant […]
The other controversial Bill is for the amendment of the Criminal Code which seeks to further protect children from predatory offenses such as rape and carnal knowledge. But other language in the Bill is causing the church to mobilize because sections of the Bill can be interpreted as favorable to the gay rights agenda. This, […]
The P.M. further stated that while the language used in the drafting of the gender policy can be revisited and discussed, such is not the case with the proposed amendment to the Criminal Code. He says the church is way off tangent. Prime Minister Dean Barrow “You know, the gender policy. I’ve said to […]
But even while the P.U.P. is gearing up for a recall, there is still the issue of a criminal investigation. A complaint was made earlier this week by WUB Morning Show Host, Mose Hyde, for a criminal investigation to be launched into the passport scandal. In the senate, a motion was also made to prompt […]
Fourteen year old Scott Thompson has been missing since last week Thursday, and tonight his mother, Elvira Thompson, is begging the public to assist her in locating the teen. She is especially frantic because Scott is a special needs child, and she is afraid that somebody will hurt him. It’s not the first time the […]
There is another family who is reporting that their loved one is missing. Twenty-four year old Shana Dominguez left home around five p.m. on Thursday. According to her common-law-husband David Torres, with whom she shares two children including a two month old baby, they were involved in an altercation just moments before she left the […]
This morning, standard six students transformed the educational surrounds of the Holy Redeemer upper classrooms into a fruit and vegetable utopia. It was a veritable shrine to healthy eating using local produce. The event was in honor of Wellness Week…and we can tell you that we’ve never seen quite so much wellness in one location […]
Tonight there is tragic news to report out of the Shipyard community in the Orange Walk District. A fourteen year old boy was mangled and killed after he fell into the jaws of a crusher. The piece of heavy equipment, used to grind dirt into white marl, was being operated at a quarry in Shipyard. […]
Aside from the passport scandal that has grabbed the attention of the nation, there is another matter that is like a time bomb waiting to explode before the government. Information to News Five is that government is proposing to enact the Belize Pension Act which involves a bundle of legislation through which government will be […]
Turning to the unremitting passport scandal…. Deputy Mayor Eric Chang, who has been away in Taiwan since early September, was expected to return to Belize today. A scheduled meeting was pending with Mayor Darrell Bradley to discuss Chang’s alleged involvement in the conveyance of a fraudulent Belizean passport to Kim Wonhong, but that was aborted […]
At a late evening interview between the Prime Minister Dean Barrow and the media on Wednesday, Barrow’s position that an investigation into the matter of the issuance of a falsified Belizean passport to Kim Wonhong does not warrant a criminal investigation, there are still a myriad of questions which remain unanswered. Top among those queries […]
There is public outcry for a criminal investigation into the issuance of the nationality certificate and Belizean passport obtained by South Korean national Kim Wonhong, while he was in detention. On Wednesday following a meeting with ousted Minister of State, Elvin Penner, Prime Minister Dean Barrow’s view was that there is no need for a […]
At Wednesday’s Special Sitting of the Senate, opposition representative Lisa Shoman also proposed that the Barrow administration call upon the powers of the senate to launch a separate investigation into the current passport scandal. An internal investigation in the wake of the fiasco is currently being conducted by the Ministry of Immigration, but that in-house […]
One more story about Wednesday’s Senate Meeting. A proposed amendment to increase the powers of the director of the Financial Intelligence Unit, allowing for greater access to fiscal information on individuals and businesses, was elevated to the Senate. It was met with serious concerns from the delegate of the business community. The issue of privacy, […]
Every two years, countries operating under the UNESCO banner have the opportunity to submit proposals for grant funding, up to fifty-two thousand Belize dollars per project. Only ten projects are approved by headquarters in Paris after a stringent selection process. Those projects must work to further UNESCO’s objectives through education, natural sciences, social and human […]
If you’ve received a call from a strange international number in the last day or so, and didn’t answer or call back, good for you. Because if you did answer, or call back, then you probably noticed that your credit was significantly depleted. There’s a phone scam being operated which is targeting both Smart and […]
Since he was booted from Cabinet for his involvement in the recent passport scandal in which a South Korean was issued with a Belize passport while in jail on September ninth, former Minister of State Elvin Penner, has not been seen in public, and except for an email, he has made no comment to the […]
While the Ministry of Immigration is investigating itself, there has been an open call for a criminal inquiry into the issuance of the fraudulent Belizean passport to South Korean businessman Kim Won-Hong. On Tuesday, a formal report was filed by talk show host Evan Mose Hyde requesting the involvement of the Belize Police Department in […]
Amid the ongoing debacle is the very real possibility that a recall mechanism, enshrined in the constitution, will be triggered by the opposition. The government of the day maintains control of the House of Representatives by a hairsbreadth. That seventeen-fourteen majority can be gravely affected if the constituents of Cayo Northeast collectively decide that after […]
While the Prime Minister spoke to the media at Whitfield Towers the leader of the opposition also spoke to News Five at Independence Hall. For the opposition, Penner, in fact, is suddenly in the spotlight for more than his involvement in the passport scandal. He and his seat are in the Opposition’s cross-hairs as a […]
