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Well-known businessman Omar Ortiz left his home this morning en route to Galen University in Central Farm, Cayo, but he never arrived at his destination. Near the cut off to Mahogany Heights between miles thirty-one and thirty-two on the George Price Highway, Ortiz lost control of his vehicle on the slippery highway, flipped over and […]
Belize’s two largest trade unions have come out swinging against the Government in the wake of the latest revelations into fraudulent and corrupt activities at the Ministry of Natural Resources. A Justice of the Peace working at the Ministry of Environment, with ties to the Vega family, reportedly facilitated Andre Vega, the son of ex-deputy […]
Written on August 31, 2017 | Posted in
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Comments Off on Teachers’ Union Says Government Must Take Lands Corruption Seriously
Meanwhile, the Public Service Union states in its release that corruption has been increasingly reported not only at Lands, but at the Ministries of Works and Health. It says it welcomes government’s initiative to extensively investigate allegations of fraud and corruption at the Ministry of Natural Resources, and calls for the same at the Ministries […]
Orange Walk East Area Representative Elodio Aragon Junior also weighed in on the ongoing land scandal involving former cabinet colleague Gaspar Vega. As Minister of State for Home Affairs, Aragon chimed in on the role of the Belize Police Department in a criminal investigation that has been ordered by the prime minister. From a political […]
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While Aragon stopped short of elaborating on an ostensible criminal matter, he says that on a personal note, one must take into consideration the fact that these kinds of circumstances often arise when dealing with people. Reporter “Sir, for you personally as a politician out of Orange Walk, is it painful for you […]
The fate of Darlene Padron, the Justice of the Peace who knowingly or unknowingly endorsed the fraudulent land document, lies with the Office of the Attorney General which is conducting an investigation into the signing of the deed. Earlier today, News Five spoke briefly with Attorney General Michael Peyrefitte who informed us that they are […]
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Comments Off on A.G. Says Darlene Padron Will Be Questioned over Activity in Vega Case
Compounded with the ongoing Senate Special Select Committee inquiry on Immigration, in which several senior public officers have been implicated, in the P.S.U.’s words, of “outright corruption, wrongdoing and lack of integrity in the performance of their duties,” the P.S.U. makes clear that even when a Minister is to blame, the Public Service invariably takes […]
Franz Parke, a Jamaican-American attorney, is being nominated for appointment to the Court of Appeal of Belize for a term of five years beginning with the October session. He was previously appointed to the court in 2015 alongside Justice Murrio Ducille, but it was not clear if he ever took office. However, despite an extensive […]
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Comments Off on Franz Parke Suggested for Court of Appeal Justice; Fitness Questioned
You heard here on News Five how well known businessman John Zabaneh has been cleared of the ‘Kingpin’ label. Zabaneh and alleged associates were designated as a trafficking organization and operatives of the Sinaloa Cartel in Belize. But for five years Zabaneh challenged the U.S. Office of Foreign Assets Control and just weeks ago he […]
Written on August 31, 2017 | Posted in
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Comments Off on U.S. Says Removal from ‘Kingpin’ List Does Not Clear John Zabaneh of Criminal Investigation
Protests continue in Guatemala where Guatemalan President Jimmy Morales attempted to remove the head of the U.N. anti-corruption commission, known as CICIG. Numerous countries have denounced the attempt to expel Ivan Velasquez, including the U.S. The State Department has expressed concerned over President Morales’ decision and threaten to review its aid program with Guatemala. Charge […]
The United Democratic Party continues to roll out its roster of candidates in various cities and towns ahead of the March 2018 municipal elections. This morning in Belize City, the U.D.P. Seven for Orange Walk Town was formally introduced, with former mayor Philip De La Fuente leading the charge once again. Joining him are six […]
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Comments Off on U.D.P. Names 7 to Take Back Orange Walk Town Council
Offering himself once more as mayoral hopeful for the United Democratic Party is a return to form for Phillip De La Fuente who parted ways with the U.D.P. in 2015, to run for the Belize Progressive Party. Despite his estrangement from the U.D.P., De La Fuente maintains that his values as a patriot and a […]
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Comments Off on Former Mayor Philip de la Fuente Comes Home to U.D.P.
De La Fuente’s biggest challenge will be unseating incumbent Kevin Bernard in March 2018. The head of Orange Walk’s town council is a two-time mayor who has been able to hold on to the office despite a majority of the municipalities across the country going red in the last election cycle. Reporter “Do you […]
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Comments Off on Mayoral Candidate Confident of Taking Down P.U.P.’s Kevin Bernard
For the second time a particular pharmacy in San Ignacio has been flagged by the Ministry of Health for the sale of an unauthorized drug. Neurobion syrup, in the two hundred and forty milliliter bottle, has been found circulating in the Belizean market, but investigation has indicated that the quality of the medicine may be […]
Written on August 31, 2017 | Posted in
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Comments Off on Cayo Pharmacy’s Vitamin B Syrup Supply Flagged by Ministry of Health
It is not sure if the drugs were smuggled into Belize, and the pharmacy in question refuses to inform the Ministry of Health who supplied them with the unauthorized medication. The release goes on to say that other pharmacies in possession of this pharmaceutical must remove it from the shelves and discontinue its sale. Doctor […]
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Comments Off on Legal Action to be Taken If Pharmacists Don’t Tell Who Supplied Compromised Medicine
Tonight we bring you closer to Lisandra Gutierrez; she is one of four finalists in KTV, the Remix, who is hoping to capture the title and cash prize. Lisandra is known in Orange Walk and Caye Caulker as a physical therapist, but this time around, she’s on the national stage. She has years under her […]
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Comments Off on Orange Walk’s Lisandra Gutierrez Wants to Reign over KTV the Remix
The national women’s commission held a first of its kind women in politics conference today. The event, held under the theme ‘Empowered Women: Empowering Women for Meaningful Change,’ brought together women in political office as well as women of leadership roles in organizations and communities. With objectives to inspire, empower and educate so as to […]
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Comments Off on Women, Power and Politics in Belize Under Discussion at Conference
The Belize National Teachers’ Union has added its voice to those condemning Minister of Foreign Affairs Wilfred Elrington for his repeated statements that Belize’s borders are not internationally recognized, and that for them to be, the Guatemalan claim must be settled at the International Court of Justice. In calling on Elrington to “watch his words,” […]
Written on August 31, 2017 | Posted in
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By next week all children across the country should be back in the classroom for the new school year. In Belize, children ages fourteen and under must be enrolled in school. Yet, every year, there are some children who for one reason or another will not be putting on a uniform to head back to […]
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Comments Off on Healthy Living Visits Youth Enhancement Services
We start tonight with important developments in the case of Amy Forte, a Belmopan resident who wrote the office of Prime Minister and Minister of Natural Resources Dean Barrow on Tuesday. She contends that her name was wrongly used to underline a swap of land on the private island of Mosquito Caye, located next to […]
Written on August 30, 2017 | Posted in
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This evening, News Five obtained a letter sent by Andre Vega’s attorney, Estevan Perera, to C.E.O. in the Ministry of Natural Resources, Sharon Ramclam Young. Basically, the son of the former Deputy Prime Minister says he is prepared to relinquish the seven-acre Mosquito Caye property to prevent further issues. But the point is moot in […]
This afternoon, the People’s United Party registered its disgust with the latest revelations. In a forty-five minute press conference at its headquarters, Independence Hall, leader John Briceño assailed the Prime Minister for his failure to act sooner and for what he called attempts to downplay the involvement of his ex-deputy, and set out a list […]
Written on August 30, 2017 | Posted in
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Comments Off on P.U.P. Goes after Vegas for ‘Get-Rich’ Scheme with Lands
As the Prime Minister contended in our interview after the House meeting of August twenty-first, the transactions detailed in a prior set of leaked documents involving the Vegas appeared to be legitimate on the surface and “I don’t know that there is any actionable illegality there.” But he had previously stated that he had not […]
So what needs to be done differently to address the ‘hotbed of corruption’, as the Prime Minister himself termed the Ministry of Natural Resources to Belizean-Americans in Los Angeles in October of 2013? There have been several recent bills brought to the House of Representatives for first reading and the Opposition Leader today called them […]
Written on August 30, 2017 | Posted in
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Comments Off on Reform Must Be More than ‘Window-Dressing’
Briceño also discussed the role of various Vega family members and acquaintances in roping off the Lands Ministry for their personal grab-tub, most notably former National Estate Officer and Justice of the Peace Darlene Padron, whom he alleges has done this many times before. It appears, he said, that this was a mostly internal cabal […]
