CIBC First Caribbean International Bank officially exited Belize today. All its branches across the country also closed and banking transactions are shutting down as of tonight to make way for a flawless transition. In August of 2015, the bank announced that it was selling its assets to Heritage Bank and pulling out of Belize. While […]
But according to CWU president Audrey Matura-Shepherd, the union did not authorize the signing of the MOA. In a text sent to News Five, Matura-Shepherd asserts that she was “shocked to find out about it and even more so how come the signing was kept to secret until one week later.” The CWU executive will […]
The strange legal tangles of US national Bradley Paumen, the owner of Dark Knight et al remain very fluid tonight. In a nutshell, three persons were formally arraigned on Thursday – Bradley Paumen, Jahangir Abadi and Haung Chong Park. Magistrate Albert Hoare refused to arraign Lisburn Anderson because Magistrate Ladonna John had already accepted a […]
But back to Bradley Paumen….He’s a millionaire investor, owner of Dark Night Tours and a resort in Hopkins, but is tonight behind bars at the Belize Central Prison. On Thursday evening, he was unceremoniously placed in the back of a police pickup just outside Court in Belmopan. Paumen was arrested on January sixth and arraigned […]
It was not until after two p.m. today that eighteen-year-old Windell Thurton, twenty-one-year-old Max Orosco and nineteen-year-old Byron Flowers, all of Belize City, were arraigned before Magistrate Deborah Rogers for the murder of thirty-seven year old Ian Blair. The trio arrived handcuffed to each other along with two others detainees. Thurton, Orosco and Flowers were […]
On Thursday, January fourteenth, ABC7 Chicago Executive Producer Anne Swaney was murdered on the grounds of the Nabitunich Resort in San Jose Succotz. Her senseless and brutal killing created shockwaves locally and internationally, and at one point F.B.I. investigators combed the grounds to assist with the investigation. But two weeks later, there is nothing new […]
There are far more questions than answers available tonight from the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital where various persons have died in the past four months due to an unknown illness. What we know so far is the following. The matter came to light during a meeting of the Hospital’s management this Wednesday. Four persons died […]
The cause of death of three persons this month remains unknown and the ministry says samples have been sent to the Caribbean Public Health Agency, CARPHA, and that at this stage, there is no cause for alarm. Duane Moody “When they do come to those facilities exhibiting these symptoms, the time frame before they […]
Turning to political news…The People’s United Party will be holding a historic national leadership convention this weekend. As you know, three candidates are offering themselves for the top job of the opposition party. Francis Fonseca is hoping to remain as leader, John Briceño re-enters the race for the job he once held and it is […]
Earlier you heard the farewell from FCIB’s Country Manager, Glen Smith. At the close of business a few hours ago, the official transfer of assets from FCIB to Heritage Bank got underway. In downtown Belize City, a team of workmen toiled diligently at FCIB’s Albert Street branch, removing boxes of files from that building, as […]
While Heritage Bank is embarking on an automation process to ensure that the changeover is easy, customers of FCIB are being asked to make certain that their new credit and debit cards are activated by Monday. Steven Duncan, Managing Director, Heritage Bank “The transition is intended to be seamless that as little involvement from […]
So what will become of FCIB’s infrastructures in the various districts. According to Duncan, a majority of those buildings will be used to expand Heritage’s operations where necessary, including the downtown location once home to FCIB’s flagship office. Steven Duncan, Managing Director, Heritage Bank “First Caribbean owned three of the branches they have and […]
On Wednesday, San Ignacio Police swarmed Esperanza in response to reports that a man had been shot in the head on a Westline Bus. Conrad Thomas, bleeding profusely and unconscious, was rushed to the San Ignacio Hospital. At the time passengers on the bus were in a panic and Police got conflicting reports. But there […]
The various arms that provide national security to the country keep growing in numbers and in strength. This afternoon, eighty new soldiers joined the ranks of the Belize Defense Force after months of arduous training. A ceremony to induct them into the military took place at Price Barracks in Ladyville where some of the soldiers […]
Since breaking ground for a new forward operating base near the mouth of the Sarstoon River in December 2015, the much talked about military installation has seemingly taken a backseat to other national issues. That’s not to say that the project has stalled. In fact, Minister of National Security John Saldivar says that work has […]
CIBC First Caribbean International Bank in its final act of social responsibility, made a contribution of fifteen thousand five hundred dollars to nine organizations in the city. Today at its local headquarters on Albert Street, executives of the bank handed over the cheques to Anglican Cathedral College, the Belize Red Cross, Belize City No Limit […]
There is global concern tonight about the ZIKA virus which is spreading quickly throughout the region. Last week, we spoke with Doctor Marvin Manzanero of the Ministry of Health about the virus which has the same symptoms as dengue or chikungunya and for which there is no particular treatment or vaccine. The effect of the […]
There have been two suicides in the West recently, young persons who took their own lives. There are organizations which deal with depression and other related factors, but as we found out, the Police Department in Cayo is also taking the initiative to step up. The Department acts as investigators in any incident, but they […]
Across the country, Community Policing has taken root, and it has become the rule rather than the exception. Just around Christmas time the San Ignacio Police Formation received twenty-four new officers, and a new program called the Community Oriented Policing Program. The officers were dispatched to twelve zones, six in San Ignacio and six in […]
As we said…Today, in an amazingly protracted and confounding Courtroom drama, it took two Magistrates, the D.P.P., a Police prosecutor and five defense attorneys eight hours and two separate courtrooms to formally arraign three men and one woman. In February 2015, a vehicle driven by businessman Michael Modiri was searched at a checkpoint, and officers […]
Businessman Jahan Abadi and Haung Chong Park were arraigned for conspiracy to the crime of perverting the course of justice. They allegedly solicited the services of Solomon Moss to plant the rifle in the vehicle of Michael Modiri. Both were remanded to prison until a bail hearing before the Magistrate on Friday morning. Paumen and […]
A joint law enforcement operation in the vicinity of Consejo, in the Corozal District, has resulted in the seizure of a quantity of high-grade marijuana believed to have been smuggled from neighboring Mexico. On Wednesday afternoon, coast guard, B.D.F. and customs personnel were patrolling the Rio Hondo River in an area known as Estereo when […]
The area of Consejo has been designated by the Belize Defense Force and the National Coast Guard as a hotspot for the transshipment of drugs and other contraband. Despite ramping up efforts to police the area and maintain a presence in Consejo, Soberanis says an interagency approach that is being implemented has been instrumental in […]
Late this evening the Eastern Division North Police levied charges against a trio of men for the stabbing murder of thirty-seven year old Ian Blair. Eighteen-year-old Windell Thurton of Freetown Road, twenty-one-year-old Max Orosco of New Road and nineteen-year-old Byron Flowers of Consuelo Street, Belize City have been jointly charged for the crimes of Murder, […]
The hunt for fifty-nine year old Juan Carlos Gutierrez has come to an end. The Salvadoran national, who was wanted by Orange Walk Police for the cold-blooded murder of Indian Church Vice-Chairman, fifty-one year old Francisco Arevalo, was captured this afternoon by Mexican and Belize police in Allende, Mexico. Gutierrez is believed to have accosted […]
