Two weeks ago, Leader of the Opposition John Briceño revealed that the People’s United Party intended to write Prime Minister Dean Barrow asking for all the contracts awarded by Belize Infrastructure Limited, and details on the people that applied for each contract, to see who has been chosen and the reasons why that person has […]
In the same vein, it has been nearly a month since Citizens Organized for Liberty through Action and attorney Kareem Musa requested details of Imer Hernandez’s eight-million dollar contract for the redo of Fabers’ Road Extension. They requested the Ministry of Works to provide the specific contract to Hernandez, the selective tendering process employed by […]
The Government of Guatemala has once again changed the date of the referendum on attending the International Court of Justice to resolve its unfounded claim on Belize. According to Siglo Viente y Uno, the new date was announced by the Electoral Commission earlier this week and is scheduled for April fifteenth as opposed to March […]
It has been almost two weeks since the murders of German national Raimund Adalbert Kobler and Amit Moryani in San Pedro and Orange Walk Town, respectively. Despite launching separate investigations into the homicides, police in both jurisdictions are still coming up empty-handed. As far as the fatal road traffic accidents down south last Friday, investigators […]
Keyur Barot and Jitendra Kumar are former employees of businessman Jack Charles. The duo has been accused of stealing over sixty thousand dollars in proceeds from the wholesaler when they were sent to collect payments in Dangriga back in September. Kumar and Barot reportedly made off with the money, as well as the sports utility […]
Trienia Marie Young is the new Registrar of the Supreme Court and Registrar General of Belize. The thirty-seven-year-old former head of the Police Prosecution Branch was sworn in on Wednesday and took the oath today on her first day on the job. She will be overseeing the Supreme Court, Vital Statistics Department, BELIPO and the […]
Elvin Penner’s political career is in tatters after he was booted from Cabinet in September of 2013 over the Won Hong Kim scandal. He narrowly survived a recall drive shortly after, but was de-selected from the U.D.P. slate. Then he was the subject of hounding on criminal prosecutions by Citizens Organized for Liberty through Action. […]
Roger Tien – he was directly invited to Belize by Minister of Economic Development Erwin Contreras on the basis of making investments here. And Immigration Minister Godwin Hulse agreed to help after meeting Tien along with senior staff. He directed then-Acting Director of Immigration Maria Marin, in November of 2012, to peruse any applications by […]
At least one member of the Senate Special Select Committee, Ashley Rocke, has gone on record to say he believes that public officers are more to blame than Government ministers or anyone else for the mess that was the Immigration Department between 2011 and 2013. And while he was not about to throw his juniors […]
An initiative to strengthen food security programs has been ongoing since April 2016. Phase three of that project which involves its implementation stage was launched today in Belmopan between the Government, Mexico and the Food and Agriculture Organization. The project extends to other Central American countries. In Belize, four Roman Catholic Schools will benefit, namely, […]
Pen Cayetano wants to share the Garifuna culture with Belizeans this nineteenth. The renowned artist is opening an exhibition called ‘Legacy’ at his gallery in Dangriga. The collection of paintings will show different aspect of the Garifuna people. Cayetano told us about what you can expect from these new pieces in his latest art show. […]
Taiwan is giving Belize one million dollars for crime-fighting and law-enforcement equipment. The Belize Police Department will acquire body cameras, motorcycles, handcuffs, drones, breathalyzer equipment and a cellebrite machine, which uses technology to recover, transfer and document evidence from different devices. A cheque for a five hundred thousand U.S.-dollar grant was presented to Minister of […]
It’s a major health concern that we don’t talk about enough. But this year, the World Health Organization is commemorating Antibiotics Awareness Week. It’s a global campaign to make people aware of the great dangers that exist when we misuse and overuse antibiotics. In tonight’s Healthy Living, you’ll find out more. Marleni Cuellar, Reporting When […]
After a week’s hiatus, the Senate Special Select Committee returned with Minister of Immigration and Nationality Senator Godwin Hulse facing his Senate colleagues in the chair once again. Over three and a half hours of testimony – interrupted only by loss of power at the National Assembly Building – many topics relating to Immigration then […]
That announcement came during an extensive discussion of the countries’ relations in terms of Guatemalans becoming Belizean citizens. Hulse told the Committee that previously, Guatemala simply accepted the Belizean renunciation form and passport as proof. But Guatemala has gotten stricter, requiring notification in Guatemala. Because Belize’s law requires renunciation before pursuing Belizean status, Guatemala would […]
The Minister of Immigration and Nationality, Senator Godwin Hulse, is the final authority on the granting of nationality certificates. In the Auditor General’s special report, two cases were cited of nationality certificates granted despite the persons having acquired permanent residence in too short an amount of time to have qualified for nationality and later passports. […]
In light of the many problems with recommenders for nationality and other Immigration problems, Minister Hulse readily agreed that a recommendation should be made that recommenders present themselves in person with the applicant when the application is taken in. Eamon Courtenay, P.U.P. Senator “This question of recommenders: don’t you think, based on what we […]
As noted by Minister Hulse, the case of Swedish national Peter Dahlstrom was one of those that made the news. He married the sister of Kim Simplis Barrow more than two decades ago but only applied for Belizean nationality in 2012. While he regularly visited Belize he was not resident here; but nonetheless he was […]
P.U.P. Senator Eamon Courtenay questioned Minister Hulse on the matter of the composition of the Nationality Committee, which considers the qualifications of applicants, as well as the publication of names and addresses of persons applying for citizenship by registration. His question was, citing the case of Won Hong Kim, is that enough? After some back […]
Those members of Cabinet who have appeared before the Senate Special Select Committee continuously contend that their recommendations for persons to acquire visas, permanent residence, passports and even nationality should not have had any bearing on the final decision. But testimony from employees of the Immigration Department finds to the contrary. Minister of Immigration and […]
Belize City Mayor Darrell Bradley is coming to the end of his two terms in office, that’s six years at the helm of City Hall. Now, he has undertaken massive infrastructure works in respect of one hundred and sixty streets and roundabouts through a twenty-million-dollar bond. But there is one project that has eluded him […]
A Guatemalan national, who resides in Armenia Village, remains in police custody tonight pending directives from the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions if charges should be laid on him for the murder of his friend and fellow villager, Carlos Humberto Navarijo Albeño. Navarijo, who is also a Guatemalan, was shot to the chest […]
Tonight, thirty-one-year-old Orlando Fisher of Belize City is on remand at the Belize Central Prison after being denied bail for the alleged sexual abuse of a nine-year-old child on two separate occasions. Fisher appeared before Senior Magistrate Aretha Ford and was read two sexual assault charges against the minor. Allegations are that on June twenty-ninth, […]
An alleged machete wielding attacker was arraigned this morning in court. He is twenty-two-year-old Aaron Flores of Gentle Street, Belize City, who is charged with grievous harm and use of deadly means of harm. Flores is accused of inflicting injuries on David Phillip on Tuesday. Flores hinted to the magistrate that he wanted to plead […]
Police have arrested and charged three Caye Caulker residents for a drug offence. Around two-thirty on Tuesday afternoon, Police searched the home of fifty-seven-year-old Timothy Stapleton where they found sixty-five grams of weed on a table. Police say Stapleton was along with two other men, thirty-year-old Bernaldo Teul and twenty-five-year-old Raphael Erebua. All three were […]
