Home » People & Places Politics
You are currently browsing entries filed in: People & Places Politics
The appointment of several close relatives of elected P.U.P. officials to statutory bodies, including the Social Security Board, has raised many eyebrows, as concerns about nepotism have arisen. Jose ‘Pepe’ Garcia, the husband of Human Development Minister Dolores Balderamos-Garcia, sits as a member of the newly constituted board of directors for Belize Water Services Limited. […]
Written on January 7, 2021 | Posted in
People & Places,
Politics |
Comments Off on Board Appointments Raise Questions of Nepotism
Before taking office late last year, the People’s United Party pledged that it would curtail expenditure related to the purchase of new vehicles for elected officials amid the COVID-19 pandemic. But not all ministers and C.E.O.s seem to be in line with that initiative, as reports indicate that several of them have gone ahead with […]
Written on January 7, 2021 | Posted in
Miscellaneous,
People & Places,
Politics |
Comments Off on Are Government C.E.O.s Purchasing New Vehicles?
Former Minister of Works Rene Montero may be facing criminal charges in the days ahead. The three-time U.D.P. Cayo Central Area Representative is the subject of an ongoing investigation being carried out by the Ministry of Infrastructure Development and Housing. It is alleged that under his tenure as head of that government department, equipment, fuel […]
Written on January 6, 2021 | Posted in
Featured,
People & Places,
Politics |
Comments Off on Ex-U.D.P. Minister Rene Montero in Equipment Scandal at Ministry of Works
In investigating Montero’s dealings during his term of office, the Ministry of Infrastructure and Development has turned to the Attorney General, the Commissioner of Police, and the Integrity Commission to determine whether any legal action can be taken against him for misconduct. According to Minister Espat, no stone is being left unturned. Julius […]
Written on January 6, 2021 | Posted in
Featured,
People & Places,
Politics |
Comments Off on Will Charges be Brought Against Former Minister of Works?
If that wasn’t bad enough, Montero has found himself in yet another outrage, this one involving a starting gate used in horse racing activities. This morning, personnel from the Ministry of Infrastructure Development, accompanied by a team of police officers, retrieved the gate from a property which was said to be Montero’s farm. In a […]
Written on January 6, 2021 | Posted in
Featured,
People & Places,
Politics |
Comments Off on Montero and the Horse Racing Gate
Belize Water Services Limited is the last of three government-owned utility companies to have named a new board of directors under the new People‘s United Party administration. The appointment of Cornelio Acosta, as chairman, and eight other members succeed the selections of former senator Mark Lizarraga and attorney Andrew Marshalleck as the presiding officers of […]
Written on January 6, 2021 | Posted in
Featured,
People & Places |
Comments Off on A New Board of Directors for BWSL
Applications are now being accepted for the Food Assistance Program under the Ministry of Human Development. The redesigned initiative is a merger of the COVID-19 Food Assistance Program and the Grocery Bag Program. The appeal is for applications from households where no one is working; households that are not receiving a pension; single-parent families, and […]
Written on January 6, 2021 | Posted in
People & Places,
Social Issues |
Comments Off on Call for Applications for Food Assistance Program
That bust is one of many the police make every year. Commissioner of Police Chester Williams has himself spearheaded numerous anti-drug operations thus far in his career as an officer. With the cannabis conversation very much alive, what are his thoughts on the legalization of the marijuana trade? Chester Williams, Commissioner of Police “I […]
Written on January 6, 2021 | Posted in
Miscellaneous,
People & Places |
Comments Off on ComPol Williams Weighs in on Marijuana Legalization
And he may be the top cop in the country, but on Tuesday night, Commissioner Williams was stopped for violating the quarantine regulations. Williams was driving in Belize City when he was stopped by one of his own officers for being out during curfew hours. It’s ironic because a low-level ranking police officer caught the […]
Written on January 6, 2021 | Posted in
Miscellaneous,
People & Places |
Comments Off on Chester Caught Outside During Curfew
A new home for the New Year – that’s a promise that a community group made to a woman and her six children and they delivered on that promise on January first. Two weeks ago, we traveled to Cow Pen Village to share the story of how a community banded together to help a woman […]
Written on January 6, 2021 | Posted in
Miscellaneous,
People & Places |
Comments Off on A New Home for the New Year!
The House of Representatives meets for the first time this Friday since the inaugural opening of the thirteenth National Assembly on December eleventh. The order of business for the initial session will include the introduction of legislation to authorize the Central Bank of Belize to provide for emergency programs and facilities to assist during unusual […]
Written on January 5, 2021 | Posted in
Featured,
People & Places |
Comments Off on New Laws to be Introduced in Upcoming House Meeting
A new executive has been named for the Social Security Board, including an Investment Committee led by Chairman Reynaldo Magana. It’s the latest round of appointments to statutory bodies as the Briceño administration continues to take shape. Nine members, including Nigeli Sosa as chairperson, are sitting on S.S.B.’s board of directors. The other members are […]
Written on January 5, 2021 | Posted in
Featured,
People & Places |
Comments Off on A New Board of Directors and Investment Committee for S.S.B.
There is a disturbing story coming from the Orange Walk District to report tonight. The Cante family in San Felipe Village is furious with the Belize Police Department after they were given the wrong body to bury. The family says that Fernando Cante died on Wednesday night and was taken to the Northern Regional Hospital […]
Written on January 5, 2021 | Posted in
Miscellaneous,
People & Places |
Comments Off on Fernando Cante Mistakenly Buried as John Doe, Family Furious with B.P.D.
The family was taken to the burial site in Trial Farm and was told that they can either exhume the body or leave the body there. The family had already made preparations to properly lay Cante to rest. On the Phone: Lewis Cante, Son of Deceased “What my family decided is it has passed […]
Written on January 5, 2021 | Posted in
Miscellaneous,
People & Places |
Comments Off on Cante Family Told to Exhume Body or Leave it There
Former Commissioner of Lands Wilbert Vallejos made headlines on Monday following a raid on his property in Patchakan, Corozal District. During the operation, officers assigned to the Mobile Intercept Team seized over sixty-nine thousand Belize dollars in cash, as well as assorted currencies in Pesos and U.S. dollars. While the Financial Intelligence Unit is investigating […]
Written on January 5, 2021 | Posted in
Miscellaneous,
People & Places |
Comments Off on A Shady Land Deal Involving the Former Commissioner of Lands?
When asked about the monies Chavarria-Requeña has invested in the purchase of the property, she says that she is expecting answers from the Lands Department regarding the unstamped documents. Duane Moody “The monies, obviously it’s thousands of dollars that you’ve paid. Who got those monies, because if there is no record…” Andrea Chavarria-Requeña, […]
Written on January 5, 2021 | Posted in
Miscellaneous,
People & Places |
Comments Off on Who Has the Money from the Land Transaction?
Another woman, a relative of Chavarria-Requeña, who lives in Santa Elena also, shared a recent experience with News Five involving a similar land transaction whereby a proxy who reportedly works on behalf of the lands department accepted money for a title. According to Carolyn Westby, she too got swindled out of a property that had […]
Written on January 5, 2021 | Posted in
Miscellaneous,
People & Places |
Comments Off on Another Victim of Land Hustle Comes Forward
A state funeral in honor of Doctor Dame Minita Gordon, Belize’s First Governor General, is being organized by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The public ceremony for the former head of state will observe strict rules of protocol and will also include much pomp and circumstance, as well as distinctive elements of military tradition. Doctor […]
Written on January 5, 2021 | Posted in
People & Places |
Comments Off on A State Funeral for Dr. Dame Minita Gordon
Occasionally, autopsies on bodies that are discovered in an advanced state of decomposition have been conducted at the Central American Health Sciences University along the Burrell Boom Road. Despite the infrequent use of its facilities and expertise, a working relationship between the National Forensic Science Services and CAHSU was never formalized. That was until Monday […]
Written on January 5, 2021 | Posted in
Miscellaneous,
People & Places |
Comments Off on An MOU Formalizes Relationship between Government and CAHSU
He sat in the seat of power in the so-called hotbed of corruption for ten years, as the Commissioner of Lands and Surveys, but tonight Wilbert Vallejos finds himself in the proverbial hot seat. That’s because heavily armed members of the Mobile Interdiction Team descended on Vallejos’ residence in Patchakan Village, Corozal District earlier today. […]
Written on January 4, 2021 | Posted in
Crime,
Featured,
People & Places |
Comments Off on Former Lands Commissioner Detained
Belize’s first Governor General Doctor Dame Elmira Minita Gordon died New Year’s Day in Inglewood, California at the age of ninety. Doctor Dame Minita Gordon served as Governor General from 1981 to 1993 and was the first woman in the Commonwealth to assume the role. A condolence message from Prime Minister John Briceño says, “Dame […]
Written on January 4, 2021 | Posted in
Featured,
People & Places |
Comments Off on Belize’s First Governor General Passes
Doctor Dame Minita Gordon was educated in Belize City at Saint John’s Girl’s School and Saint Mary’s Primary School, and later graduated to attend the Teacher’s Training College. Her first teaching post was at an Anglican school. She then went on to lecture at the Belize Teacher’s Training College, after which she became an Education […]
Written on January 4, 2021 | Posted in
Featured,
People & Places |
Comments Off on The Life of Dr. Dame Minita Gordon
And so, going into 2021, ComPol Chester Williams and his senior officers are already in the process of re-strategizing the department’s crime fighting efforts, with a view to realize a further reduction in criminal activities across the country. That strategy will be launched in the weeks ahead and will also reflect the mandate of the […]
Written on January 4, 2021 | Posted in
Miscellaneous,
People & Places |
Comments Off on 2021 Crime Fighting Strategy Being Finalized
The Gang Suppression Unit has been dissolved and so too has the Anti-Gang Task Force. In their place is a new component of law enforcement that will specialize in hunting down and prosecuting underworld figures involved in organized crime, including gang activity. The G.I.3, as the elite group will now be known, will focus on […]
Written on January 4, 2021 | Posted in
Miscellaneous,
People & Places |
Comments Off on Exit GSU, Enter GI3! But Are They One and the Same?
So what becomes of the officers that formed the erstwhile Gang Suppression Unit, will they also be part of the most recent iteration of special assignment officers? According to ComPol Williams, it is not an automatic transition and many will not be joining the G.I. Three. He says that a thorough background check will be […]
Written on January 4, 2021 | Posted in
Miscellaneous,
People & Places |
Comments Off on Sayonara GSU! Not all Officers will Join GI3
