Cayo South Area Representative Julius Espat will be kept away from the precincts of the National Assembly in Belmopan for the foreseeable future. Today, he faced a warrant for his arrest should he dare to attend the meeting of the House of Representatives, the first since he was named, shamed, and drummed out in dramatic […]
While the first attempt at returning Julius Espat to his seat in the House was unsuccessful, Espat’s fellow parliamentarians seemed to miss him somewhat, as the House was largely well-behaved – or at least, more so than usual. It was either that or the Christmas spirit that convinced a bipartisan effort to resolve the impasse, […]
It has been over a month since Belizean commuters have seen bus fares go up in most of the country. They have complained that there is no justification, since fuel prices are trending down and the service provided by operators has not discernibly improved. However, Minister of Transport Edmond Castro told the House of Representatives […]
Tonight there is more hanky-panky to reveal about the putrid state of affairs that was pervasive at the Immigration Department in years past. The Senate Select Committee on the Special Audit on Immigration met in Belmopan on Wednesday looking at some of what took place in the period between 2011 and 2013. Senator Eamon Courtenay […]
Cayo South Area Representative Julius Espat will not be attending Friday’s Sitting of the House of Representatives. In fact, he will be keeping a fairly safe distance away from the Assembly Building, as word is that there’s a warrant for his arrest should he set foot on Independence Hill during the meeting. It’s not to […]
So what became of the discussion among senior parliamentarians on both sides of the floor to have Espat reinstated? According to the embattled politician, U.D.P. Party Whip, Michael Finnegan, is the only one to have expressed an interest in patching things up. In spite of a letter written by Fort George Area Representative Said Musa, […]
On Wednesday, when asked to comment on Espat’s situation, Pickstock Area Representative Wilfred ‘Sedi’ Elrington proceeded to upbraid his colleague. He went on to say that it is a shame that the People’s United Party, instead of reprimanding Espat for his behavior in the House, is actually united in defense of such action. Today, Espat […]
The appointment of Nestor Vasquez to the Integrity Commission remains a hot button issue for the People’s United Party. Opposition Senator Eamon Courtenay has raised serious concerns about Vasquez’s selection and is critical of his role as the government appointed accountant on the newly formed working group. It was disclosed, following a meeting of the […]
Prime Minister Dean Barrow did not make it back to Belize from New York for health reasons, following meetings with bondholders. A release today says the PM is receiving medical treatment for gastroenteritis. PM Barrow was experiencing symptoms seemingly consistent with viral gastroenteritis prior to his departure to New York. The release states “the symptoms have […]
On Tuesday, the Chief Justice struck out a case brought against the Speaker of the House by Cayo South area rep Julius Espat. Espat argued that his removal from the House did not follow due process. Espat’s argument focuses on a technicality that when Pickstock area rep Wilfred Elrington got up to name him in […]
The second session of the Senate Special Select Committee recalled Auditor General Dorothy Bradley, who was joined by direct assistant and Supervisor of Audit Carla Faber to answer further questions in regard to the Immigration Audit Report. The six Senators on the Committee covered extensive ground in the first full session, one of two planned […]
Among the many irregularities found in the Immigration Audit Report’s three volumes is the curious process by which persons who had never set foot on Belizean shores were able to obtain visas, Belizean nationality and passports, in that order, bypassing many of the procedures in place with little more than the sponsorship of local benefactors, […]
There could be a showdown almost equal to the titanic battle that proceeded on the afternoon of August twenty-sixth coming on Friday, December ninth. Cayo South area representative Julius Espat will return to the House, but he hasn’t been invited. It’s difficult to forget, especially for those involved, but here’s a recap: While addressing the […]
Following the decision of the Supreme Court, News Five caught up with Leader of the Opposition John Briceño to get a reaction on the ruling. While admittedly disappointed, he says that they are prepared to respect the position of the high court. Briceño maintains however, that Cayo South Area Representative Julius Espat does in fact […]
Turning to a another contentious issue for the Opposition…Lead P.U.P. Senator Eamon Courtenay is making a direct appeal to his opposite number, Godwin Hulse, to step in and remove Nestor Vasquez from the duly constituted Integrity Commission, to which he was appointed last week. Following the Senate’s meeting on November thirtieth where Vasquez was confirmed, […]
In the Senate’s debate over appointing Vasquez to the Integrity Commission, Senator Courtenay had objected to the appointment mostly on the ground that Vasquez’s long-standing service at now-state-owned enterprise Belize Telemedia Limited as well as the Social Security Board and Central Bank, among others, would place him in unavoidable conflicts of interest when it came […]
Arguing that the Senate was misled into approving the appointment and “a legal nullity”, lead Senator for the People’s United Party, Eamon Courtenay, has written Leader of Government Business in the Senate and Minister Godwin Hulse. Courtenay is asking to rescind Nestor Vasquez’s appointment to the Integrity Commission. Vasquez was nominated under the Prevention of […]
This evening, the Institute of Chartered Accountants convened its scheduled meeting and discussed the revelations surrounding the nomination of Net Vasquez to the Integrity Commission. I.C.A. had written to the Prime Minister on November eleventh announcing that accountant Warren Coye was their choice to sit on the commission. But six days later, Prime Minister Dean […]
The Senate met for its latest session today at the National Assembly in Belmopan with a full agenda. Thirteen motions were tabled for debate and consideration, of which ten were particularly significant. The Upper House was asked to ratify both the original Special Agreement between Belize and Guatemala, formalizing the process of potentially resolving the […]
Senator Courtenay went on to attack what he called “salami sausage diplomacy” – the piecemeal offerings by the Government on the Guatemala issue, starting with the ratification of the Special Agreement and Protocol and moving on to the Referendum Act. Courtenay also bruited the possibility of Constitutional amendments and amendments to the Maritime Areas Act, […]
The Integrity Commission was finally named today. The names of Marilyn Williams for Chairman; Armead Gabourel; Lisbeth Delgado; Wilmot Simmons; Nestor Vasquez; Melissa Balderamos Mahler and Claudet Grinage have been submitted to participate in the Commission for a period of two years from December first, 2016. Quite a few of the names are well known […]
New chair Marilyn Williams is being appointed in her capacity as an attorney, as provided for by law, while Nestor Vasquez is being appointed in his capacity as an accountant by trade. But that latter appointment had most of the upper chamber agog. In addition to his many conflicts of interest, the Prime Minister, with […]
Also debated before the Senate today is the resolution authorizing the accession by Belize to the United Nations Convention Against Corruption (UNCAC). Belize is nine days away from the formal ratification of the UNCAC, but the last major hurdle is confirmation by the Senate. While the Government of Belize has indicated that it was disposed […]
A working group has been established to smooth the path to ratification. That group has planned a number of events leading up to the actual signing of the Convention on December ninth at the Prime Minister’s Belize City office. It features membership from Government and the Private Sector, but not the Opposition, which lead Senator, […]
Attorneys for Cayo Representative Julius Espat and House Speaker Michael Peyrefitte today argued the merits of Espat’s purported suspension at the last sitting of the House back in August. Espat was to debate the Special Immigration Audit, but before that could happen, hell broke loose and he was removed from the chamber by the security […]
