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Opposition: Prime Minister Got It Wrong

Leader of the Opposition John Briceño, however, has a different take. He says that he is not surprised that the bondholders would reject the proposed restructuring of the superbond because PM Barrow failed on his commitments in the terms of the 2012 superbond restructuring agreement.  Briceño says the Barrow Administration guilty of mismanagement, incompetence and […]

When Will Higher Taxes and Retrenchment Come?

According to Briceño, the prime minister failed to take note of the stipulations of the 2012 superbond agreement, which states that if government was to default, it has to pay an eleven percent penalty on the five hundred million plus U.S. dollar debt. Briceño says that would cost Belize an additional hundred million dollars. The […]

Opposition Leader Points Fingers at G.O.B. on Puerto Azul

Turning to the scandalous Puerto Azul scam which continues to unravel…the Minister of Tourism Manuel Heredia Junior, who along with the Minister of economic Development, were fetted at the Cannes Film Festival when the luxury project was launched is travelling and no one on government would speak on how crooked investors were able to hoodwink […]

Ruth Meighan Speaks to Senate Committee; Can’t Explain Triple Dip in Immigration

The sitting of the Senate Special Select Committee on Immigration continued today in Belmopan. Current C.E.O. in the Ministry of Transport and National Emergency Management Ruth Meighan, a career public officer, appeared before the Committee on Immigration. She appeared without legal representation. Meighan was grilled on activities during her tenure as Director of Immigration, from […]

Why Permanent Residency was Another Entryway into Immigration Scandal

The senate select investigation into the Immigration irregularities exposed another foray into the murky world of Belizean immigration through the issuance of permanent residency. A hard-and-fast rule that was nonetheless broken with apparent impunity was the required one-year residency for non-Belizeans. But former Director Ruth Meighan insisted that her review of the various files brought […]

Ministers and Others Not Prohibited from Recommending Visa Applicants; Sponsors More Tight

Ruth Meighan was extensively questioned on the process of sponsorship and recommendation for visas, which according to the Report was one of the easiest ways into the fast-track world of Belizean identity. The Department, according to Meighan, had accepted policy that if needed, sponsors would be able to establish proof of financial viability for visitors […]

Why Immigration Did Not Pursue Visa Foil Sellers

The afternoon session of the Committee opened with a look at an internal report concerning an apparent illegal sale of visa stickers to then-Deputy Mayor of Belize City Eric Chang by an Immigration officer. Chang’s name was also called in the infamous Won Hong Kim case. The scheme was reported by another officer, who later […]

Agassi Finnegan is Called to the Bar

Agassi Finnegan, the daughter of Minister Michael Finnegan, was this afternoon called to the Bar in a ceremonial session held in the chamber of Chief Justice Kenneth Benjamin. The induction was witnessed by many including Finnegan’s family, friends and legal colleagues. Notably present for the ceremony was Deputy Prime Minister Patrick Faber as well as […]

A.G. Looks to Colleague Sylvestre to Erase Mandatory Minimum Sentences

On Monday the legal year opened with a new Attorney General – Michael Peyrefitte. He told the members of the judiciary that one of things he wants to do is a comprehensive review of the existing criminal laws which will focus on the appropriateness of the mandatory minimum sentences. Peyrefitte pointed out that one of […]

CitCo Promises No Disruption in Garbage Removal

Last week Monday PASA informed the Solid Waste Management Authority that they would not be carrying out anymore works at the transfer stations and the regional sanitary land fill at mile twenty-four. And so far work has not resumed, and from we had gathered all indications were that it was an issue surrounding the contract.  […]

Fighting Stigma and Discrimination over H.I.V.

The National AIDS Commission is hosting a series of training sessions to sensitize key sectors in HIV stigma and discrimination. The sessions started on Tuesday with media personnel and will continue with Judiciary members, law enforcers, health workers and administrators, which seek to create an enabling environment for key populations affect by HIV. Today we […]

The End of Puerto Azul; Chief Developer Arrested in Italy for Massive Fraud

The controversial Puerto Azul project was a scam from the get go. It was launched at the 2014 Cannes Film Festival in France, where Ministers Manuel Heredia Junior and Erwin Contreras travelled for the grand event along with other high profile personalities.  It came crashing down this morning when, financial police in Varese, Northern Italy, […]

Glenn D. Godfrey Wants His Forty-Four Million Pound of Flesh

On the heels of three arbitration awards upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court last week and a fourth involving the Belize Bank still making its way through the U.S. court system, the last thing the Government wants to hear about is further litigation. But that is exactly what it faces from Glenn D. Godfrey’s G.D.G. […]

13th Senator Speaks on Disappointment of Freeze-Out

It’s been one week since the N.G.O. community voted overwhelmingly in favor of Osmany Salas to represent its membership as the thirteenth senator.   While an official appointment is pending, the inaugural meeting of the Senate for 2017 has been scheduled for this Thursday, one day ahead of the Commencement Order taking effect.  In light of […]

N.G.O. Act Has Nothing To Do with Swearing-In

While the N.G.O. community is fully aware of government’s position to amend the N.G.O. Act, it maintains that the N.G.O. Amendment Bill has nothing to do with the swearing in of the thirteenth senator on January twentieth.   Osmany Salas, Senator-Elect “We don’t see what is that urgent that can’t wait a couple days.  So […]

G.S.U. Officer Accused of Personal Grudge and Harassment of Couple

Back in December, a San Ignacio couple came to our studios to make a complaint against a GSU Officer. They claimed that they were brutalized at the hands of the law enforcement personnel. Well, it has been over a month and the couple claims that they are being harassed by the officer, whose name we […]

Why Butane Prices Went Up

If you purchased butane since the eleventh of this month, you would have noticed that the price went up big time. Last week the Bureau of Standards sent out a release to say that LPG – known to most as butane – would be seeing an increase of eighteen percent. The last time consumers saw […]

Belize Wants to Improve its Standards

The Belize Bureau of Standards has received a grant from the Caribbean Development Bank to the tune of two hundred and eighty thousand U.S. dollars to be used to enhance the National Quality Infrastructure. The first step has been an assessment of standards currently in place and the preparation of a draft plan to bring […]

Miss Belize Heads into Competition for Miss Universe

The competition is heating up in Manila, Philippines where Belize’s Rebecca Rath is holding her own in the sixty-fifth edition of the Miss Universe pageant. On Monday, the twenty-three-year-old beauty and the other eighty-nine delegates from across the world were hosted at a Governor’s Ball at the SMX Convention Center. There they were all introduced […]

Was Lords’ Bank House Fire Deliberately Set?

A home was completely destroyed by fire before midday today. The persons who lived at the home weren’t there at the time of the fire. While Police and Fire Officials have not classified the cause of the fire – best information to us is that it may have been intentionally set – a report that […]

G.O.B. Will Proceed with Pitts-Vega Compensation Case

Attorney General Michael Peyrefitte assumed office on January first, several days after a claim had been filed against businessman Andre Vega and U.D.P. insider Sharon Pitts.  Legal action is being taken by the Government of Belize against those individuals in an effort to recover almost one million dollars that was disbursed in two sums of […]

The Legal Year Opens with New A.G. and Bar Prez But Same Problems

The 2017 opening ceremony of the Supreme Court took place this morning; the proceedings started with a service at the historic Saint John’s Cathedral after which the judiciary and Bar members headed to the other equally historic building, the Supreme Court on Regent Street. After the pageantry of the inspection of the guard of honor, […]

Attorney General Settling into New Office

The transition from Speaker of the House of Representatives to Attorney General has been a work in progress for Michael Peyrefitte.  He formally took over that government department at the beginning of January, when outgoing Attorney General Vanessa Retreage demitted office.  Since taking over that responsibility a number of high profile cases have landed on […]

Senate Meeting Will Proceed; 13th Senator Not to be Present

The Government of Belize has announced through a Communiqué that the meeting of the Senate scheduled for Thursday, January nineteenth, will proceed as scheduled. The commitment for a thirteenth senator was made eight years ago, but newly-elected Senator representing non-governmental organizations, Osmany Salas, will have to wait even longer to sit in the senate. That […]

Debate on Referendum Act is Personal for Most Area Reps

The House of Representatives began debate on the Referendum Act (Amendment) Bill, on its second reading, shortly after its break to consider the first reading bills. That debate lasted nearly three hours, and passions were brought to the fore on an amendment that, as several debaters said, was intensely personal to all Belizeans. The basic […]