Last week we told you the story of sixty-nine year old Norwegian-Belizean businessman Chris Rogemma who went to scout a property in St Margaret’s Village in the west and got lost. His body was found five days later. Rogemma’s cause of death shows that he died of natural causes as we confirmed with his friends. […]
The Government of Belize has recommended the re-appointment of Contractor General Godwin Arzu for a further two-year term. But if the Opposition had its way, the answer would be no. Arzu has been in the post since 2009. His name was most recently in the news as signing off on the Imer Hernandez-awarded contract for […]
Kareem Musa, Caribbean Shores area representative and attorney for Citizens Organized for Liberty through Action, is awaiting the formal response from the Ministry of Works to peruse the contract for the re-construction of Faber’s Road among other things. But today he could not resist the opportunity to personally challenge the Prime Minister over what he […]
This week Minister of Tourism and Civil Aviation Manuel Heredia Junior confirmed that Imer Hernandez won the bid for the Caye Caulker municipal airstrip reconstruction. He noted that there were changes to the bid and according to Prime Minister Dean Barrow, the contract, for which money is being sought by the Airports Authority but not […]
Another multi-million dollar contract has been granted to the government’s choice contractor, Imer Hernandez, the nephew of the former Deputy Prime Minister Gapi Vega. As recent as last week, Hernandez was granted the controversial eight-million-dollar contract for the one mile stretch of Faber’s Road, which Prime Minister Dean Barrow staunchly defended on Wednesday. Minister of […]
Now Imer Hernandez’s company has been awarded numerous contracts for multimillion dollar projects in past years. Back in 2014, the Prime Minister had to defend Hernandez’s work because many considered it sub-standard. In one instance, he was threatened with court action by the Orange Walk Town Council after he was paid monies for infrastructural work […]
The dust has not settled yet on the controversial eight-million-dollar contract for work on Faber’s Road. The agreement was signed on Thursday and by Friday, execution began. It prompted the Prime Minister to bring out the consultant at the Ministry of Works, Avondale Moody, in defense. Still yet, there is that bit on the tendering […]
The controversy surrounding the cost, as well as the awarding of the Faber’s Road Project to Imer Hernandez, is quite possibly the result of a lack of information about the mechanics of the tendering process. It’s a concern that is shared by Mayor Bradley, who believes that it is critical to transparency and accountability. […]
Why was Mayor Bradley skirted by Prime Minister Barrow in favor of Councilor Deon Leslie during his consultations on the Faber’s Road Project? On the surface it appears that the United Democratic Party is attempting to gain political mileage ahead of the upcoming municipal elections. Councilor Leslie is responsible for sanitation, but he’s also the […]
Still on the issue of infrastructure projects…. it was intended to be a centerpiece of the giant Petrocaribe spending program – worth removing squatters, clearing out bushes and splashing cash. But the Lake Independence Boulevard project, which cost three-point-two million dollars, has instead become a monument to failure. The primary problem is that the hot-mix […]
Mayor Darrell Bradley also commented on the Lake Independence Boulevard. As both a citizen and Mayor, he was appalled at the state of affairs. He indicated that it was emblematic of a systemic breakdown which must be addressed by the Government with support from the press. After years of contracts being awarded with few details […]
In an update to the alleged foiled abduction of three girls from El Progresso Seven Mile Community in the Cayo District, we can confirm tonight that the American businessman held in detention has been released. He was held for forty-eight hours, but no charges have been brought against him. News Five has been told that […]
The Barry Bowen statute was unveiled today at the municipal airstrip in Belize City which also carries his name. Among the invitees were his wife Dixie and family, ministers of government as well as friends and employees of the businessman that was killed in February 2010. Bowen would use that airstrip to fly his plane […]
The U.D.P. municipal convention held this weekend in Dangriga has brought into the open the division within the hierarchy of the party. Former U.D.P. minister Mark King and current Dangriga area rep, Frank “Pawpa” Mena, took to social media this week expressing their concerns and frustration with election tactics to secure votes. Mena went as […]
Bomb Expert and Commander of the Belize Defense Force, Brigadier General David Jones, is currently on pre-retirement leave after almost two decades of service with the force. But who will be moving up? Minister of Defense John Saldivar told News Five today that the current acting commander, Colonel Steven Ortega is the most senior officer […]
There have been complaints from residents on Caye Caulker that a dredging project may have adverse effects on the surrounding ecosystem and the barrier reef. Since the beginning of this month, San Pedro Belize Express Water Taxi has been dredging a spot next to its docking pier on the island because its boats have been […]
The Statistical Institute of Belize, in partnership with the United Nations’ Population Fund, wrapped up a two-day training in data analysis and micro-data access in Belize City. The training for personnel from different ministries including agriculture and youth, the Belize Tourism Board and University of Belize and several other organizations saw the introduction of a […]
It’s been said that there is something permanent and something extremely profound in owning a home – and that is what a south side family found out today when they officially received the keys to their spanking new house. A mother and her three young children ages eight, six and four will move into their […]
This Saturday at the Memorial Park in Belize City, man’s best friend takes center stage in the first ever Dog Show and Pawty in the Park. From two to six p.m., residents are being encouraged to bring out their pets and enroll them into the eight categories including best dressed dog, best dog trick and […]
A telethon organized by the Council of Churches and the Belize City Council to raise funds in aid of the thousands of hurricane victims in Dominica and Antigua and Barbuda is scheduled for Saturday at the Bliss. While a target has not been set, Belizeans are being encouraged to give generously in order to assist […]
Many consider a stroke to be a silent killer. The truth is that a stroke may not always lead to loss of life but it can disrupt or destroy the normal function of about any part of your body. Yet, strokes are not as silent as we think. Some recognizable signs and symptoms may give […]
Since the announcement last week, there has been growing public outcry over the awarding of another contract to Imer Hernandez, the family of the former Deputy Prime Minister, Gaspar Vega. This afternoon, Prime Minister Dean Barrow called a press conference seeking to quell the firestorm on the cost of the works as well as over […]
As to the tendering for the award of the lucrative contract, you heard the Prime Minister say he solicited estimates from two contractors before settling for Hernandez. He had also consulted with U.D.P. mayoral candidate Dion Leslie. He calls this process, limited tendering, to expedite the works. The contract was signed last Thursday and by […]
To bolster an explanation on the seemingly exorbitant cost of the Faber’s Road project, government brought in an engineering consultant who has had extensive history working with the Ministry of Works. Avondale Moody handles a majority, if not all, of the internationally funded projects and after a detailed breakdown of expenditure, he claims that the […]
The Prime Minister opened the conference by specifically challenging the charge that the Finance and Audit Act was violated by the use of the selective tendering process rather than open tendering. He also defended against claims that the contract should have immediately gone to the National Assembly for review. The Act, said Barrow, provides that […]
