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Senior Counsel and Senator Eamon Courtenay has come under fire from the United Democratic Party and the Government for acting on behalf of the former BCB Holdings in a Constitutional claim to the Central Bank (International Immunities) Act, despite having supported its passage in the Senate. Courtenay did express his reservations on aspects of the […]
Written on February 23, 2017 | Posted in
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Comments Off on Ashcroft Praises Eamon Courtenay; Says He May Release Him from Legal Work
Farmers in the Cayo and Orange Walk Districts have thousands of pounds of potatoes rotting in the fields – produce they have been unable to sell because of competing imported Mexican and contraband potatoes. On Monday, farmers in La Gracia in the Cayo District said they can’t get buyers – and then there are the […]
A jury of seven women and five men stepped into the deliberating room at just after noon today to decide the fate of three men from Cayo, who are accused jointly with the murder of eighty-two-year-old James Neal Young, who was killed in a most gruesome manner. Four and a half hours later, the verdict […]
Written on February 23, 2017 | Posted in
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Trials |
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David Miguel Banes, otherwise known as David Nanes Schnitzer, sits in a Mexican jail for white collar crimes he allegedly committed in that jurisdiction. After defrauding investors of millions of dollars and subsequently absconding to Belize, specifically San Pedro, to avoid prosecution, Banes was facilitated with a falsified Belize Nationality Certificate, as well as a […]
Written on February 23, 2017 | Posted in
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Comments Off on The David Nanes Caper Revealed in Paperwork from Immigration
The Immigration and Nationality Department remains under heavy scrutiny amid the ongoing Senate Special Select Inquiry…and we’ll have that coming up. Tonight, however, there are complaints from the public that passport services have all, but come to a standstill as a result of technical difficulties being experienced with the existing machine. The system currently in […]
Written on February 23, 2017 | Posted in
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People & Places |
Comments Off on G.O.B. Scrambling Over Passport Machine
According to Minister of State in the Ministry of Immigration, Beverly Williams, another system has been substituted in place of the faulty passport machine which is also enabled for machine readable documents. Beverly Williams, Minister of State, Immigration “The backup plan is to look at renewal of current passports that have the scanning, that […]
Written on February 23, 2017 | Posted in
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People & Places |
Comments Off on Temporary Passports to Cover Backlog
If you listen to the Government, most of its problems stem from past decisions, whether by the Said Musa administrations or by Lord Michael Ashcroft. At every turn there have been attacks on both throughout the three administrations of Prime Minister Dean Barrow. In our interview on Wednesday, the British peer, who also has Belizean […]
Written on February 23, 2017 | Posted in
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People & Places |
Comments Off on Ashcroft Asks: Was It Really Worth It?
A few weeks ago, former C.E.O. of the Ministry of Immigration, Candelaria Saldivar-Morter, mused that many unusual things happened in the Immigration Department and that there was corruption from the top to the bottom. Another example came to light in Wednesday’s public hearings where former Finance Officer Teresita Castellanos told of the unusual way in […]
Written on February 23, 2017 | Posted in
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Comments Off on At Senate Hearing, a Tale of Attempted Bribery Making G.O.B. Richer
Even though Prime Minister Dean Barrow continues to deny that the cut corners in the Immigration Department compromised the nationality of those registered in the run-up to the 2012 general elections, further testimony revealed that even with the greater number of applications coming in, the number of staff doing checks did not increase significantly as […]
Written on February 23, 2017 | Posted in
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Comments Off on Ex-Nationality Chief Details How Vetting Corners Were Cut
We suspect that it hardly matters in the greater scheme of things, but both sides of the political divide have been accused of misusing the Immigration Department to their advantage, especially during election time. In 2012, the U.D.P. government swore in over two thousand new Belizeans in the run-up to general elections, which they won […]
Written on February 23, 2017 | Posted in
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Comments Off on Politics Responsible for Immigration Mess
The day-to-day operations of the Immigration and Nationality Department are coming under the microscope in the ongoing investigation. The Minister of State Beverly Williams is faced with reshaping the image of the sullied department. You would have heard Williams’ former stomping ground at the Ministry of Natural Resources described as a hotbed of corruption by […]
Written on February 23, 2017 | Posted in
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People & Places |
Comments Off on Junior Immigration Minister Says Work on Reform Must Continue
Coconut may be big business soon for Belize – the emerging industry is supported by the Caribbean Coconut Industry Development Project which aims to improve income and employment opportunities, food security and overall competitiveness of the Caribbean Coconut sector. At least two companies are exporting coconuts and creating opportunities for local farmers. The Minister of […]
A News Five team is in Washington where an exclusive interview was conducted earlier today with Lord Michael Ashcroft. A number of issues of national importance were discussed during the lengthy dialogue, including recent judgments on the outstanding arbitral awards, as well as the ongoing Super Bond negotiations. Since the prime minister’s return from New […]
Written on February 22, 2017 | Posted in
Economy,
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Comments Off on Lord Michael Ashcroft Makes Dire Predictions About Superbond
Lord Ashcroft also commented on the possible privatization of the utility companies. In his view, while it will be difficult to get investors to purchase minority shares; the sale of utilities can be an opportunity for a solution to the Super Bond issue. Lord Michael Ashcroft “Would you invest in a company that is […]
It appears the Senate Special Select Committee is convinced that Eric Chang and Patrick Tillett can contribute to their investigation into the circumstances of eight missing visa foils that they sought to have authenticated at the Immigration Department in Belmopan, which turned out to be stolen. Chang, the former Deputy Mayor, has been implicated as […]
Written on February 22, 2017 | Posted in
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Comments Off on Eric Chang and Patrick Tillett Summoned to Senate Inquiry; Will They Appear?
David Nanes Schnitzer – his name is back in the news in a big way after his recent re-capture by international authorities and return to Mexico to face fraud charges. He was in Belize and caught with various fraudulent documents, including Belizean nationality and a passport which have since been revoked, according to Minister of Immigration […]
Written on February 22, 2017 | Posted in
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Comments Off on Why Senate Cannot Investigate David Nanes Schnitzer
There are provisions in both the Senate and House of Representatives Standing Orders which effectively prohibit premature publication of evidence by those involved in Select Committees. As we have seen, these prohibit discussion of the ongoing public hearings of the Senate Select Special Committee in any public forum even though the hearings are being broadcast […]
Written on February 22, 2017 | Posted in
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Comments Off on Police and Other Investigations Must Wait for Senate Report, says Chair
Former finance officer in the Department, Teresita Castellanos last week dared to say what no else would, at least publicly. At her second appearance before the Senate Special Select Committee last Wednesday, she disclosed that a culture of corruption and hustling existed at the Department. In this regime, Immigration officers, abetted by their superiors, acted […]
Written on February 22, 2017 | Posted in
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Comments Off on Teresita Castellanos Says Few Records Were Kept for Passports
Returning for his second time in the witness chair this afternoon was former officer in charge of the Nationality Section, Gordon Wade. In his previous appearance, he named several Ministers of Government as being frequent visitors to the department for various items from visa to nationality recommendations. But today he spoke of a “Minister’s List,” […]
Written on February 22, 2017 | Posted in
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Comments Off on Ministers Prevailed on Immigration Director to Tend to Constituents
American fugitive Daniel Rae Morris apparently wound up with a Belizean’s expired passport, although he didn’t get very far with it, as he was detained at the northern border and subsequently expelled from Belize. Camalote resident Floyd Emmanuel Neal told wildly different stories about his passport to police and immigration, but he wound up getting […]
Written on February 22, 2017 | Posted in
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Comments Off on How Daniel Morris Fooled Immigration
As final vettor, Gordon Wade’s word was almost law when it came to recommendations for nationality. He gave the final word before the Director gave her stamp of approval. But, as in the case of Tizing Huang, a person claiming to have permanent residence, despite having only just arrived in Belize, can slip through the […]
Written on February 22, 2017 | Posted in
Miscellaneous,
People & Places,
Trials |
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There was uproar this morning outside of Gwen Lizarraga High School where tardy students were locked out and not allowed to enter the compound, essentially missing out on their first classes of the day. When our news crew arrived on the scene, over a dozen students were standing outside on Antelope Street and police officers […]
Written on February 22, 2017 | Posted in
Education,
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People & Places |
Comments Off on Gwen Lizarraga High Cracks Down on Tardy Students
A woman is in police custody tonight pending charges, following the death of her common-law-husband forty-six-year-old Eric Kent Moses. It is expected that Genevia Christine Estrada will be charged with manslaughter after being apprehended today. Police investigation into the incident led them to Victoria Street where witnesses said that the couple was drinking at their […]
Written on February 22, 2017 | Posted in
Trials |
Comments Off on No Love: Manslaughter Charges for Woman After Partner Died Following Valentine’s Spat
A three-day workshop concluded in the city today – two days were spent gathering information from regional and international specialists, including scientists and legal experts, on issues that are relevant on how we conserve and sustainably manage marine biological diversities in areas that are beyond our territorial waters. Today was the final day – a […]
Written on February 22, 2017 | Posted in
Miscellaneous,
People & Places,
Regional / International |
Comments Off on Coming to Agreement on the Law of the Sea
Over the weekend, a new board was elected for the Belize Olympic Committee. The national committee holds elections every four years after the Olympic Games. It’s a requirement to be affiliated with the International Olympic Committee which funds various sports programs annually in member countries, including Belize. Belize is allocated one hundred and twenty-five thousand […]
Written on February 22, 2017 | Posted in
Miscellaneous,
People & Places,
Sports |
Comments Off on Olympic Committee Goes to Elections; President Says Belize Wants to Win
