Elvin Penner walks….A decision was handed down today in the case of Elvin Penner, who facilitated the issuance of a passport to South Korean fugitive, Won Hong Kim. The former government minister admitted in an email that he, “Personally went with Kim to the passport office to see to it that he would get proper […]
The Won Hong Kim scandal erupted in September 2013. The catalyst was a Belizean passport issued to Kim. Kim received Belizean nationality and his passport while he languished in a jail cell in Taiwan. That was ten months ago, and the infamous passport has yet to return to the shores of the jewel. Recently Minister […]
P.U.P. Leader Francis Fonseca got the news about Penner shortly after the former Minister of State walked out the door of the Belmopan Magistrate Court, indicted now only by public opinion. He told News Five that it is a bitter disappointment, a travesty and a sad day for Belize. But Fonseca concedes that while it […]
Prime Minister Dean Barrow, on more than one occasion, has expressed his doubt that Elvin Penner could be successfully prosecuted, maintaining the difference between factual guilt and legal guilt. Attorney-General Wilfred Elrington has followed suit, asserting that the reason the D.P.P. has not initiated a public prosecution against Penner is that she knows it wouldn’t […]
P.U.P. Leader, Francis Fonseca, himself a former Attorney-General, also took issue with the comments of Elrington, but like the outcome of the case, he says they weren’t surprising. He says Elrington was simply reflecting the belief and intent of the U.D.P. government. Francis Fonseca, P.U.P. Leader “The Attorney-General had absolutely no business offering his […]
There have been four fires in the past sixteen days in the Belize District that have unfortunately been caused by children playing with lighters. The incidents have prompted the Fire Department to urge parents to keep matches and lighters away from children. This morning in separate areas of the City, fires swept through three houses. […]
Prior to responding to the fire on Berkley Street, the National Fire Service had to respond to another fire, this time in the Conch Shell Bay Area. Smith also had on display the various lighter tools to sensitize the public on items that should be kept out of the reach of children. Orin Smith, […]
Commissioner of Police Allen Whylie continues to be the man in the hot seat, and the man under fire in the Penner immigration scandal. He did not hand over the file which contains all evidence compiled so far in the investigation. That effectively squashed COLA’s case today setting Penner free of the charges. The Commissioner […]
The reaction of the crowd outside the courtroom was immediate. As Elvin Penner and his family walked to a parked vehicle, there were cries of ‘thief’ and ‘you should be in jail.’ But beneath the anger of those assembled outside is also a deep disappointment in the system, and a belief that the outcome of […]
On June sixteenth, Justice Michelle Arana ordered the government of Belize and SATIIM to engage in mediation where the exploration by US Capital Energy is concerned – mediation, but with no guidelines or determined outcome, which seems like somewhat of a hollow victory for SATIIM. Today, Executive Director Greg Ch’oc told us that the mediation […]
If you’re the driver of a late model government ride, especially a Toyota Hilux, you may want to be careful where you park. That’s because there are some brazen thieves at work in the nation’s capital Belmopan. At least three government vehicles have been stolen in recent weeks. First it was a Toyota Hilux from […]
There was a fatal road traffic accident today in the Orange Walk District. Sometime around two o’clock this afternoon, two vehicles traveling in opposite directions along the Yo Creek Road collided into each other. Reports are that Nadir Muñoz, the driver of a grey sports utility vehicle, which was being used to vend corn tortillas, […]
A case management conference was held at the Caribbean Court of Justice this morning in a suit brought against the governments of Belize and Trinidad & Tobago by Jamaican gay rights activist Maurice Tomlinson. On May eighth, the CCJ handed down a decision granting Tomlinson special leave to challenge the immigration acts of both countries. […]
Belize City businesswoman Heidi Andrades appeared unrepresented in magistrates’ court today where she pleaded guilty to a fisheries offense after being busted with thirty-nine undersized lobster tails at her restaurant. On Thursday, July tenth, fisheries officer Maurice Westby visited Admiral Restaurant, located at the Municipal Airstrip, and conducted a search of the premises. There, he […]
Magistrate Sherigne Rodriguez this morning found a San Pedro family of four not guilty of the charge of possession of six rounds of unlicensed ammunition. This matter came to public prominence because of the unpopular gun laws that require automatic detention of anyone charged. The Nasser family: Jaziba, Nazim and their two children Jamil and […]
The Commonwealth Games 2014 opened in Glasgow, Scotland on Wednesday night to much fanfare. Belize is among seventy-one nations participating in the multi-sport event. With a delegation that spreads across several disciplines, including cycling, shooting and table tennis, the Jewel is being represented by its best athletes. Belize’s debut earlier today in the triathlon competition […]
Belizean cyclist, Gregory Lovell, and Flag Bearer, Katy Sealy, were selected from the delegation to dine with Queen Elizabeth the Second and the Duke of Edinburgh at the Commonwealth Games Athlete’s Village today. According to Vasquez, the athletes are all enthusiastic about representing Belize at the sports meet. Via Phone: Arturo ‘Tux’ Vasquez, President, […]
Summertime is extra special for children and youths who are attending interesting summer camps. Over at the Skills Training Center on Magazine Road, the City Council wrapped up two summer camps today. It was a fun time for the participants who engaged in activities such as arts and crafts, sports, and day trips to exciting […]
BCVI and the Lions have been in partnership for decades. Today, the official handing over of two projects that BCVI was able to secure through the local Belize Lions took place. The Lions Club International Foundation funded a first project and the other was by Sight First International. Duane Moody was present for the event […]
Currently, the Friends of Pediatrics N.G.O. is hosting a highly anticipated medical mission for Belizean children. Over thirty families will be directly impacted by the work of two visiting medical professionals. In tonight’s Healthy Living visited the Inspiration Center to find out more about what this long awaited mission entails. Marleni Cuellar, Reporting Belizeans […]
