At least thirteen U.D.P. ministers and former ministers are being named in the Special Immigration Audit for being involved in irregular practices as it relates to the issuance of passports, visas, and nationality certificates. The Auditor General points out that the law does not provide for ministers to intervene in the process. On both sides […]
News Five returns tonight to a review of the Office of the Auditor General’s Special Audit Reports on Visas, Nationality and Passports which are now before the House of Representatives and may soon be the subject of an investigation by the National Assembly. In the following story, correspondent Aaron Humes takes a look at tie-ins […]
Back in 2013, a Belizean from Camalote appeared to lose his passport and sought to get another one. A typical process – so why is his name in the Immigration Audit Report? Correspondent Aaron Humes traces the strange case of Floyd Emmanuel Neal. Aaron Humes, Reporting The Immigration Audit Report on Passports cites media […]
As we reported on Monday, the government of Guatemala has flatly rejected the report of two independent experts, commissioned by the O.A.S., on the shooting death of fourteen year old Julio Rene Alvarado Ruano. The minor was killed in the Chiquibul where a joint patrol found him with his father and brother hunting and gathering […]
Guatemala was the first to call for an O.A.S. led investigation and had agreed to the appointment of the experts. But now the tables have turned since the report exonerates the B.D.F. and in fact notes that there was interference with the evidence on the part of the Guatemalans. In the interview this morning, the […]
Five taxi associations in Benque Viejo Del Carmen are protesting a similar initiative by foreign, specifically Guatemalan nationals, to muscle in on their profits. The sixty drivers appeared in front of the Benque Town Council office this morning, asking the politicians to intervene in stopping Melchor vans and taxi drivers from making runs into Belize […]
The People’s United Party is hosting a national protest this Wednesday in the city. The party says enough is enough and that the government has been reeling from scandal to scandal on a number of national issues. The P.U.P. has not recently organized a mass protest, so the numbers and muscle will be interesting factors. […]
The P.U.P. has also organized a petition to have Belizeans sign on or to ask and encourage—either individually or organizations that they belong to—to write their area reps or directly to members of Government to have a senate select inquiry, which is the mechanism under the constitution to investigate the immigration scandal. Valerie Woods, […]
The Belize of Chamber of Commerce’s Expo was held over the weekend at the ITVET in Belize City. The private sector was out in full force offering deals upon deals on a wide range of products or services. The most popular item was really the deals on phones and there was an abundance of options. […]
There is breaking news: Police are at this time processing the scene of a murder in Lake Independence, Belize City. A few minutes ago shots rang out behind the Complex Building where the murder took place. We’ll have more on this murder in Tuesday’s newscast.
The controversial ruling by Chief Justice Kenneth Benjamin on Section Fifty-three remains in the headlines tonight. And this morning, the Belize Council of Churches met in an extended session to discuss a collective position on the decision, among other national issues. The sit-down preceded a scheduled meeting this afternoon with Prime Minister Dean Barrow, who […]
According to the President of the Belize Council of Churches, the call for Senator Rocke’s resignation came from other areas of the religious community but was never sanctioned by the organization. While the Roman Catholic Church individually requested his removal, as a member of the council it stands in solidarity with the collective decision to […]
Pastor Rocke, who has kept a low profile in the wake of the controversial vote, was candid earlier today when he explained to News Five the rationale behind the vote not to support a Senate Select Committee. In breaking his silence, he says that while he did not object to an investigation, the counterproposal made […]
On Thursday, the president of the Belize Association of Evangelical Churches was castigated by Pastor Louis Wade who claims that Pastor Howell Longsworth is a functionary of the U.D.P. Wade alleges that Pastor Rocke’s vote may have been influenced. Today, we put that question to Pastor Longsworth who flatly rejected the allegation. Isani Cayetano […]
Section Fifty-three…will it be appealed by the churches? It’s a position that is yet to be formalized following a meeting today with Prime Minister Barrow. This afternoon, representatives of the Belize Council of Churches and the National Evangelical Association of Belize sat down with PM Barrow to discuss the section of the Criminal Code that […]
Dorian Pakeman, he is the Director of the Government’s Press Office and a familiar face at Government press conferences and other official events. But earlier this year he became part of the news cycle when, back on March thirtieth in Biscayne village, Belize District, he knocked down and killed forty-five year old Dean Dawson, a […]
This afternoon, Prime Minister Dean Barrow reacted to the news, stating that once he has looked into the matter, action will be taken if appropriate. Prime Minister Dean Barrow “I certainly have…I’ve heard about it and I certainly have to look into that. I don’t know enough at this juncture, but that is a […]
The People’s United Party senators called a press conference at Independence Hall in Belize City this afternoon and they went straight to the point. According to Senator Michel Chebat, there has been a concerted effort by the Prime Minister and the Immigration Minister, Senator Godwin Hulse to cover up the fraudulent activities at the Immigration […]
According to Special Audit, Dahlstrom applied for nationality on the fifth of April 2012 and noted on his application that he “eventually wants to reside in Belize.” He was recommended for nationality on October twenty-second 2012 and Minister Hulse signed the nationality certificate that same day. One day later, on October twenty-third, he applied for […]
One other issue that is a priority for the P.U.P. is their call for a senate select investigation. That motion was presented in the senate, but defeated seven to five. The Opposition senators recalled that when the U.D.P. was in Opposition twelve years ago, they too had proposed and was granted a Senate Select Investigation […]
Police have very limited leads to go on in the Saturday afternoon murder of a Sandhill resident. While the end came quickly for victim Tyrone Davis, answers as to who killed him and why will be harder to find. Davis was known to the law and had faced charges of aggravated burglary and later, firearm […]
Police are investigating a fatal encounter between a resident of Carmelita, Orange Walk and an unknown man who chose to sit in the middle of the Burrell Boom-Hattieville road early in the morning – and wound up paying the ultimate price. ACP Edward Broaster has more details. ACP Edward Broaster, Regional Commander, Rural Eastern […]
A pair of employees of the San Ignacio/Santa Elena Town Council is in big trouble tonight, after being caught on video sleeping off a drunk bender after completing official duties in Orange Walk. Mayor of the Twin Towns, Earl Trapp, has told the media that he is disappointed at the behaviour of the pair, who […]
The Minister of Immigration Godwin Hulse is persistently coming under the microscope. At the sitting of the Senate Meeting last Wednesday, the P.U.P. senator requested that he recuse himself from voting on the motion for a Select Senate investigation into the immigration fiasco. Hulse was minister of immigration for some time during the period under […]
Signing on to the United Nations anti-corruption convention is picking up steam. Government maintained for some time that it would not; but last week, there was a softening of position following a meeting between the Prime Minister and Belize Chamber of Commerce. The Chamber is pushing for the initiative and on Saturday at the Expo […]
