As we told you Tuesday night, after years of legal battles, the long anticipated figures for the 2009 nationalization of Belize Telemedia Limited are in and they are staggering. According to our quick tally when we looked at the hundred and thirty-nine page judgment from the Permanent Court of Arbitration, we’d thrown out an estimate […]
In case you missed it, Government, for the acquisition of B.T.L., must pay approximately four hundred million to the previous owners of B.T.L., give or take a million or two. That means that by the eighth of July, a two hundred million payment will be due. Within a year, another payment of two hundred million […]
It’s not quite as simple as that. The settlement agreement, agreed to in 2015 between Prime Minister Barrow and Lord Michael Ashcroft, does indeed stipulate that the Accommodation Agreement portion of the award, sixty percent, is to be paid in Belize dollars. But our understanding is that the money will still be under the control […]
To round off his sales pitch, the P.M. then launched into a costs-benefits analysis which he maintains is complete vindication of G.O.B.’s seven years of effort and fighting the good fight. Prime Minister Dean Barrow “Under Costs to G.O.B.: shares, one hundred and twenty-eight million U.S. dollars; interest, U.S. ninety-nine million dollars; arbitration costs […]
Two hundred million in ten days, now actually nine, sounds like a big deal. But it’s not, apparently. In fact, Government says they will have absolutely no difficulty raising the money in the time given. Prime Minister Dean Barrow “Under the arrangement we made, half of the totality of the Award is payable within […]
The Prime Minister appears to be deeply impressed with the four hundred million dollar arbitration award, but the P.U.P. is not. In a release issued late this evening the Party claimed that it is appalled by the final figures released which they say are worse than even they expected. According to the release, “Including the […]
A gruesome discovery was made this morning in Mahogany Heights. The body of a young woman stabbed multiple times was found in a ditch behind the village, a short distance from her house. The seventeen year old minor was apparently killed somewhere else and dumped in the ditch and no one knows by whom or […]
The police have made a significant bust of a suspected smuggling ring of illegal Central American nationals. Two Cayo residents, twenty-two year old Anival Alvarenga and twenty-four year old Victor Garcia, are in big trouble with the law tonight after they were caught transporting almost a score of illegal immigrants from somewhere along the Benque […]
ACP Broaster says that the rural corridor is used by coyotes to transport illegal immigrants into the country as they make their way to Mexico with their final destination the United States. The department has developed a strategy to intercept the coyotes as well as how to deal with the human cargo. ACP Edward […]
Ladyville police are also investigating a shooting that occurred around eight p.m. on Tuesday at the Crooked Tree junction with mile thirty-one on the Phillip Goldson Highway. Twenty-five year old Belize City resident, Stephen Palacio, reported to police that he was shot by someone as he stood outside his vehicle. It is not known what […]
While all eyes will now almost certainly be turned on the arbitration award, the situation at the Sarstoon continues in limbo. Coming out of a meeting at the O.A.S. last week, Foreign Minister Wilfred Elrington had no real progress report because there seemed to be no real progress to report. In fact, the only timeline […]
The People’s United Party announced on the eve of the Washington meeting that they would be withdrawing from the process because government didn’t appear to be serious in its talks with Guatemala. The Opposition proposed the formation of a national team with a clear, structured agenda and a timeline, as opposed to what they called […]
The last time News Five went to the Sarstoon just prior to the Washington talks last week, we were chased out by a Guatemalan naval vessel with nine armed soldiers. Fortunately, their boat was slower, since it didn’t seem they were trying to hold on to us to offer cervezas and cookies. Government had issued […]
To referendum or not to referendum – that is the question or at least one of the questions. Another involves the amending of Belize’s Referendum Act. It’s been reported that Guatemala wants Belize to change its law so that a simple majority would pass the vote. Currently, there needs to be a sixty percent threshold. […]
Today was report card day from the Statistical Institute of Belize. S.I.B. held its quarterly press conference this morning to present the most recent figures pertaining to Belize’s economic performance. Arguably the most important piece of information, as it relates to the average Belizean, is the cost of the food basket. Is it higher this […]
Ahead of the prime minister’s press conference this afternoon, Citizens Organized for Liberty through Action, COLA, held its own media brief to discuss the impact of the B.T.L. arbitration award. The question and answer session came on the heels of a release issued by the grassroots organization on Tuesday, in which COLA castigated government for […]
Attorney Kareem Musa, who describes the entire nationalization as a political blunder, maintains that the former owners of B.T.L. should have been compensated at the time the utility company was appropriated in 2009. Prompt compensation, according to Musa, would have avoided the hefty sum prescribed by the arbitration tribunal. Kareem Musa, Attorney for COLA […]
This morning, the courts took a break from court proceedings and instead the judiciary participated in the JURIST project which is the Judicial Reform and Institutional Strengthening Project. A cross-section of stakeholders also participated in the two-day workshop. Funded by the Canadian Government, JURIST is being implemented in the region to improve the administration of […]
The Chief Justice says that one project that has had success in the Court of Appeal involves backlog elimination. The initiative is still in progress and involves case management methods and the streamlining of the appeal process. Kenneth Benjamin, Chief Justice of Belize “We hope that the next project initiative would be the development […]
Born out of a social research known as the Gayle Report, conducted in Belize over six years ago, Like A Bushfire was officially launched at the Image Factory this morning. The book which focuses on inner city violence was co-written by several authors, including anthropologist Doctor Herbert Gayle and education officer Nelma Mortis. The social […]
In 2013, Cubola Productions approached the research team with an idea to compile the results of the Gayle Report into book form. It has been three years since and the result is long in the making. With all the resources and time invested in the project, Dr. Gayle says that the work is a labor […]
Belize Water Services Limited has announced a partnership with Restore Belize’s “I am Belize” Scholarship Program, as well as the Belize National Sports Council. BWS has pledged to assist with funding for the annual academic initiative by making available a total of forty thousand dollars to be disbursed over the course of the next four […]
Each of the various representatives, including Roger Bradley and Ritchel Dominguez, described their respective programs. The ‘I am Belize’ Scholarship Program began several years ago and was primarily funded through the B.N.E. Trust Fund. Meanwhile it is the first time Belize is hosting the CODICADER Games. In accepting the contributions of BWS, an overview of […]
The Fisher of the Year Award Ceremony was held in Belize City this morning to acknowledge fisher folks, men and women, who have been outstanding in their effort to secure sustainable small-scale fisheries. The event was held at the Coastal Zone Training Room where representatives from the Wildlife Conservation Society, as well as other stakeholder […]
Guadalupe Lampella has been a fisherwoman for over forty-five years. She was selected as the Outstanding Fisher Folk for 2016 after meeting the criteria of participating in the decision-making process, assuming her responsibility for sustainability and contributing to food security. Guadalupe Lampella, Outstanding Fisher Folk 2016 “I have to say first of all that […]
