7 News Belize

Canadian Robbed At Miller’s Landing
posted (August 17, 2020)
Increasing numbers of robberies and thefts have been much in the news recently - and now there is an aggravated burglary in Placencia.

On Saturday night, a Canadian national was robbed at gunpoint. This morning in Belmopan Assistant Commissioner of Police Joseph Myvette had the details:

Joseph Myvette, ACP- Head, NCIB
"On Saturday night sometime shortly before 8 pm Placencia police were called to the Miller's Landing area on the Placencia road where Brady Jeffrey a 45 year old Canadian national reported to police that sometime around 7:30 pm whilst he was inside his home he was approached by a person with whom he is familiar who entered his home armed with a handgun and demanded money and as a result, he was relieved of an undisclosed amount of money. A police investigation into this matter has led to the detention of one person who at this time is going through the investigative process in relation to the investigation."

This happened at Mile 20 on the Placencia peninsula road. The thief got off with a few hundred dollars in cash. The suspect is known to police.






Another Chinese Grocer Robbed

And back in the City, there was yet another gunpoint robbery of a grocery store.

It happened just after noon, on Sunday when two men armed with a firearm stole $3,000.00 from the ABC store on Central American Boulevard. And it seems they got away clean. Sr. Superintendent Hilberto Romero admitted morning, that the police have no leads.

Sr. SUPT Hilberto Romero
"On Sunday there was a robbery at ABC store on Central America Boulevard Wei Zhao reported that he was at his tore and that two male persons who had on masks entered and pulled a firearm. They proceeded to rob of him of $3000.00 Belize currency and thereafter the male persons fled from the area. We have no suspects at this time."

Police are looking for fingerprints to lead to a suspect.






Caught Brandishing Weapon

Over the weekend the cops made one arrest that didn't require any investigation. That's because the perp in question was waving the evidence, an unlicensed gun, in the wind for all the world to see. Here's more on the circumstances of his arrest from the head of national crimes investigation:

Joseph Myvette, ACP- Head, NCIB
"Also on Saturday while San Ignacio police were on patrol on Bullet Tree Road in San Ignacio Town they came across a Hispanic male person armed with a handgun whose name was later learned to be Nectali Ye 24 years of a Bullet Tree village address and at the time he had in his possession a chrome and Black 22 revolver. As a result, he was detained and the revolver was taken away from him. He has since been arrested and charged for being in possession of a firearm for which a license has not been granted to him."

Cherisse Halsall:
"Sir what were the circumstances under which Mr. Ye was found with this gun was he just waving it around in public?"

Joseph Myvette, ACP- Head, NCIB
"Yes, he was just walking on Bullet Tree Road in San Ignacio Town and at the time had a weapon in his hand and the police patrol happens to be in that are at the time when he was doing so."

It was a chrome .22 revolver.






Man Stabbed In Front of Home

He was stabbed to the chest and left for dead in front of his own home. And like the woman we told you about earlier in our newscast he knew his assailant. And tonight 55 year old Aubrey Brown is also struggling to survive after that violent confrontation which happened after the curfew hour on Saturday morning. Here's more from Senior Superintendent Hilberto Romero.

Sr. SUPT Hilberto Romero
"On Saturday the 15th day of August 2020 around 1:30 a.m. police responded to a chopping incident on Johnson street Belize City. Upon their arrival, they found Aubry Brown 55 years with a chop wound to the chest. He was taken to the KHMH for treatment and thereafter he reported that he was along with another male person at his house when they got into an argument and the male person chopped him to the chest. We are seeking that one suspect at this time. Brown is in a stable condition."

Reporter
"Sir any motive for the stabbing?"

Sr. SUPT Hilberto Romero
"Nothing, they were hanging out and they got into an argument."

Romero says ongoing investigations will determine whether Brown's assailant or Brown himself could be charged for curfew infractions depending on whether the struggle was contained to the house or if they stumbled out onto the street.

Brown remains under observation at the KHMH where he is listed in a stable condition.






Many Suitors For Sale of Scotia

And, our last two stories tonight, are bots on the banking sector from the Minister of Finance. When we spoke to him on Friday, the Prime Minister said that the Central Bank review of the sale of Scotiabank to the holding group that owns the Belize Bank is still underway.

As we have reported, that acquisition would create a concentration of more than 50% of the commercial banking sector in one entity - and the Prime Minister has expressed reservations.

On Friday he said other groups would like to buy into the deal:

Rt. Hon. Dean Barrow, Prime Minister
"I can tell you that there are expressions of interest, multiple expressions of interest from concerns that would dearly love to be in a position, or to be given a chance to purchase ScotiaBelize. But there is already the agreement between the two principals, and so clearly Scotia can't even contemplate much less negotiate any other offer, but if for some reason, for good and sufficient reason, Central Bank were to conclude that regulatory approval is in the circumstances not possible, there will be no lack of takers in terms of Scotia bank going back on the, not auction block, on the...if they were to till insist that they want to sell, there'd be no lack of takers."






PM Backtracks On Exchange Regs

And, in one other banking note, the PM seems to be backtracking on a statutory instrument he signed into law a few weeks ago, at the end of July.

It removed certain currency controls and central bank oversight to facilitate real estate transactions. But, at the time we argued that it could undermine the peg. The PM resisted the argument when we first Brought it to him - but on Friday, he said he sees the point:

Rt. Hon. Dean Barrow, Prime Minister
"Since he asked me those questions about the SI's that we've amended, triggered principally by the frustration over the need for permission for land transactions to be processed when a foreigner is involved, he caused me to have to experience, not a visit, but a visitation from the Central Bank, they descended on me in numbers to make their case and to convince me as to the danger in which the SI's have placed the peg. Bottom line is, we're, we're prepared to, to rethink things and hopefully there's a compromise that we will arrive at."




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