Important Note: This Internet version of 7 News is a verbatum
transcript of our evening television news script. Many interviews on our newscast
are conducted in Creole. In the interest of clarity for our foreign readers,
we attempt to paraphrase the Creole quotes in English
Tonight, there is an explosive flurry of allegations directed at the Deputy Chief Forest Officer, John Pinelo. And he is counter-accusing businessman Cesar Godinez-who has a number of logging licenses.
It started today when 7News received a Company ownership document saying that Deputy Chief Pinelo was a shareholder in a company seeking a license to co-manage areas of the Mountain Pine Ridge.
We asked Pinelo about that and it led to a shocking string of allegations and counter-allegations:
Jules Vasquez "I sent you today when I received it a copy of a company document which shows you as a shareholder in Selva Conservation Limited. And Selva Conservation is a company involved with forestry. And it is also a company that had an application before the forestry department last year for the management of recreational sites in Mountain Pine Ridge Reserve."
"How is it that you are a shareholder of a company that has an application before your department? Isn't that a conflict of interest?"
John Pinelo, Deputy Forest Officer "Well, Jules, when you sent me that and asked me, I comically tell you, please send it to me, so I know which company I am on."
"I was shocked when you sent me a document with my name on it. I never signed anything to be a member of this company. I don't even know what the company is doing. I was asked if I wanted to be a shareholder."
"Yes, I will say that. I never signed anything or accepted to be. I have never participated in any meeting or any discussion with anybody that professes to be the directors or managers of Selva Conservation."
"So I am at shock knowing that my name is on a company where I did not sign any documents to say, yes, I agree to be a part of."
Jules Vasquez "Now, who asked you to be a member of the company?"
John Pinelo, Deputy Forest Officer "Jules, in this job, you get offered a lot of things. And that is just the nature of being a head of a department."
Jules Vasquez "Offer things as inducements?"
John Pinelo, Deputy Forest Officer "Inducements to have things move smoothly, quickly, or illegally. I have navigated successfully until today, making sure that I am not part of those discussions."
"But I was approached by one Mr. Cesar Godinez, who is a long-term concessionaire in the Mountain Pine Ridge. And I never signed anything, Jules, because I realized that he could use whatever he had to come back at me on a day like this."
"And the day is here. But as I told you, I am not a participant in any company. I don't actively participate. I don't even know what Selva Conservation is doing. Selva Conservation definitely does not have any concession at all in the mountain pine ridge."
"I mean, it's crazy to think that this is coming out now. And the only reason I would say that I think it is coming out is because my appointment for chief forest officer is coming up. I am acting. And so anything will come out of the woodworks to try and blackmail me or sully my name so that whoever is making decisions look at me negatively."
Jules Vasquez "But it's not anything. This is an authentic document from the company's register. In order to be registered as a shareholder in a company, as you are here, authenticated identity documents, signed documents have to be presented."
"It is not easy, as I know it, to fraudulently put someone as a shareholder in a company. Is that what you're saying, that you are the victim of what would be a very serious case of fraud?"
John Pinelo, Deputy Forest Officer "If you look at it like that, Jules, it is fraud. I did not accept. I did not sign anything. I did not follow up on offers that were made to me with that."
Jules Vasquez "But a specific offer was made to you as an inducement."
John Pinelo, Deputy Forest Officer "Yes, as an inducement, but I never followed it up. And this is what I'm saying. And now I have to discuss with my lawyer to try and remove my name from something that I never knew I was on."
Jules Vasquez "This is the allegation that, okay, you know, you have to put me in as something in order to get a green light and they put you in something. That's the allegation."
John Pinelo, Deputy Forest Officer "And it is an allegation that I deny. It is an allegation that I deny, Jules, because, like I said, it doesn't make any sense that I will put myself in a company and not make $1 from the time my name went on that document."
"Why would I want to be in a company then? I don't have any, any participation with any activity that Mr. Godinez has. None at all. And I mentioned to you recently, Mr. Jules, that Mr. Godinez approached me after a meeting with my CEO and offered me money to help him facilitate his activities."
"And I told Mr. Godinez, I don't need any of your money. I am well off who I am, and I will be well off after you disappear from this environment. And then I mentioned it to my CEO, so she was aware that this gentleman was actually offering me a bribe to facilitate his documents."
Jules Vasquez "But that is a serious allegation. You're accusing someone of a criminal act. Offering a public officer a bribe is a criminal act."
John Pinelo, Deputy Forest Officer "It is."
Jules Vasquez "Why didn't you make a criminal complaint?"
John Pinelo, Deputy Forest Officer "I guess it was foolish of me not to follow it up."
Strong allegations-and we will have a response from Godinez shortly.
But, we also saw documents showing Pinelo receiving bank transfers from Cesar Godinez. We asked him about those:
Jules Vasquez "I have also seen from Mr. Cesar Godinez. So there's a pattern."
John Pinelo, Deputy Forest Officer "Jules, that pattern you will have to send to me, so I can take a look and see. As I said, I spoke to my lawyer and my lawyer is telling me, don't mix up my business that I have."
"I have a little computer business with forestry operations. But I have been advised not to go into any detail with that discussion because you are telling me things that I don't even know. I would like to see proof of those things so that I can then deal with them legally."
So, those are the allegations and counter-allegations. A few minutes ago we reached out to Cesar Godinez for his response to those claims and here's what he told Jules Vasquez via phone about the alleged bribes:
Cesar Godinez, Selva Conservation "I don't think it's something new to Belize that when you reach as a business person to a lot of these places, the first thing they ask you is, I guess they judge you. And then the first thing they do is they ask you for money."
"And me as a businessman, of course, I'm a businessman. So I wouldn't, why would I want to give shares in a company? Did my proposal, I submitted it. John saw it, he reached out to me. And the only way that I would be able to get co-management of an area back here is if, you know, because you have to grease the wheels."
Jules Vasquez "You're saying that John saw the application from Selva conservation and he then asked you to be a shareholder."
Cesar Godinez, Selva Conservation "Yeah, he asked me if you make me a shareholder, I can help you. I can facilitate it."
Jules Vasquez "But then Selva Conservation did not get what it was asking for."
Cesar Godinez, Selva Conservation "So we didn't get the areas. We didn't get the co-management. So then that's when he reached and said, if you give me this amount of money, I will make sure you go. And I have proof that I gave him money."
"That's for a fact. I have all my WhatsApp messages where he would call me. Sometimes I would not even answer his calls because I've been in business. I know how it goes. He would reach out to me. I gave him monies and he would say, if you don't give me a money, I won't make it go through."
"And I think I guess we're not children. We all know how Belize, like, what it is when you go. It's nothing new."
Jules Vasquez "But he told me that those monies that you sent him were for products you bought from his company in Belmopan, PC.com."
Cesar Godinez, Selva Conservation "No, I don't buy any. Everything I buy is I ship through Amazon."
Jules Vasquez "So have you purchased any products from his companies?"
Cesar Godinez, Selva Conservation "I have never purchased anything from his company. I didn't even know he has a company that sells products."
This is a late-breaking story, and we will have more on it tomorrow.
Nearly eleven months after a fatal traffic accident claimed the life of a police officer Arcenio Cus on the Philip Goldson Highway, businessman and Thirsty Thursday owner Khris Rosado has pleaded guilty to causing death by careless conduct.
Rosado appeared today before Justice Derick Sylvester in the High Court, where he accepted responsibility for the fatal collision that resulted in the death of Cus on July 28, 2025. Rosado was represented by attorney Dr. Lynden Jones, while Crown Counsel Maria Nembhard-Santana appeared on behalf of the Director of Public Prosecutions.
Investigators determined that PC Arsenio Cus, 38, of Silver Creek Village, was riding a motorcycle from Ladyville toward Belize City when a black vehicle entered his lane and collided with him. The impact caused Cus to lose control of his motorcycle and suffer severe injuries to his head and abdomen. He was transported to the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital, where he later succumbed to his injuries.
Following the accident, Rosado was initially charged with five offenses: manslaughter by negligence, causing death by careless conduct, driving without due care and attention, failure to stop and render aid, and failure to report an accident. Rosado was committed to stand trial for manslaughter by negligence, but the matter proceeded in the High Court on an indictment of causing death by careless conduct.
Marvin Cal, who was found guilty of causing death by careless conduct in a fatal traffic accident that claimed the life of Oscar Rhodas, was today sentenced to 47 days imprisonment, time already served, and released from custody.
Justice Derick Sylvester also ordered Cal to pay $5,000 in compensation to Rosa Reyes, the common-law wife of the deceased. The compensation must be paid within 18 months, with minimum monthly payments of $300 beginning July 1, 2026. Failure to make payments could result in six months imprisonment.
Cal was convicted on April 30, 2026, after a nine-member jury deliberated for about two hours before finding him guilty.
The case arose from a fatal traffic accident on June 12, 2023, along the Hattieville-Burrell Boom Road. Rhodas, who was riding in the pan of a white Ford Ranger pickup, died from severe injuries sustained in the crash. During the trial, Cal maintained that he was not the driver and claimed he was a passenger. However, the prosecution, led by Crown Counsel Maria Nembhard-Santana, presented eyewitness and expert evidence that convinced the jury otherwise.
Cal was originally charged with several traffic offenses, including manslaughter by negligence, but was ultimately indicted and convicted on a single charge of causing death by careless conduct.
A man has been sentenced to 30 years for a murder which occurred back in 2023. Lyson Cacho changed his plea to guilty in the middle of the trial after damning footage was entered into evidence. The footage showed when Cacho and the victim Jordan Waight hanging out on Barbara Harris Street before Cacho jumped on a bike and shot Waight.
Justice Candace Nanton imposed a fixed-term sentence starting at 35 years but it was reduced due to his early guilty plea. Cacho was represented by Ian Grey.
Today the UDP held a 2-hour press conference where, as usual, they discussed the most pressing issues facing the country. At the top of that list was the revelations of GOB's dealings with companies associated with Oscar Mira's relatives. As we told you, there have been hundreds of payments from the government to Mira's sister Jenny that are all less than $10,000 in order to avoid scrutiny from the Ministry of Finance.
Well now the UDP has written under the Freedom of Information Act, requesting specific information about those and other Mira family dealings. Leader of the Opposition Tracy Panton outlined what they're demanding.
Tracy Panton, Leader of the Opposition "We have submitted a freedom of information request to the prime minister and the Minister of Finance seeking all public records and documents relating to contracts, memorandums of understanding, procurement arrangements, purchase orders, payment schedules, invoices, tender documents, and related agreements involving Jenny Mira, Mount Pleasant Farms Limited, MP Farms Limited, FAST Construction Company Limited, FTW Company Limited, and any related entities for the period of 2020 to date."
"Through the Mira FOI request we are demanding the full paper trail, the full paper trail. We want to know, to whom were these contracts issues, what contracts were issued, what was the value of these contracts, what tenders were publicly advertised, who evaluated the bids, who approved the contracts, were procurement procedures followed, were conflicts of interest declared, were politically exposed persons involved, were payment made before goods or services were delivered, were stacked, split, inflated or structured to avoid scrutiny, were public officers pressured to approved payments, were the goods and services actually delivered, did the Belizean people get value for money?"
And tonight there is more information about scores of payments being made from the Ministry of Defence to another Mira family member-this time it's brother Brian. 7News has just received a fivescome of screenshots that show about 70 payments being made to Brian Mira's company MP, or Mount Pleasant Farms-and they follow the same pattern-all under ten thousand dollars.
Those that we have seen were all recorded since 2025-so we asked the CEO under whose watch it happened about the pattern of payments. Francis Usher told us via text, quote, "MP farms was one of the suppliers of dry goods over the last financial year for both the BDF and the Coast Guard. ...Invoices are processed based on how they are submitted by the vendor."
He added, quote, "What I can guarantee you is that not a single dollar has been paid to any business or any individual who did not fulfill what was stated in their purchase order. And purchase orders are generated based on specific requests/needs from the BDF/BCG."
And the person who first leaked Mira's SmartStream dealings on Facebook was John Saldivar. Since then, he's been continuously attacking Mira on social media, putting in more work than some of the other UDPs. So we asked the party leader if they would consider letting him back in.
Courtney Menzies: "After seeing this, is the party looking to open up to bring back Mr Saldivar? He certainly speaks as if he wants to see his name on a ballot again."
Tracy Panton, Leader of the Opposition "We spent the latter part of almost 2 hours and our focus must be the corruption of Oscar Mira and any citizen in this country has the right to raise concerns about Oscar Mira and the corruption but let me assure you the UDP has a well established well prepared caretaker in the like of Mr Khalid Belisle. And Mr Khalid Belisle will be representing the UDP in the next election."
And the UDP has also written a second Freedom of Information request, this time regarding the NHI contracts that have been signed. Panton once again detailed the information they have requested from the FinSec, since she says they haven't been able to get it through other channels.
Tracy Panton, Leader of the Opposition "We have requested a full list of all private and governmental primary care providers, primary healthcare providers contracted to deliver NHI services in Belize. In the most recent house meeting, the Minister of Health stood up and said that he believes, he doesn't know, he believes that maybe we have 7 public healthcare facilities who have been contracted to provide primary care services under NHI."
"We need to know the names of these providers, the names of the owners."
"We need to know their names, their directors' names, their shareholder names and their beneficial owners."
"Under the FOI we have requested copies of all contracts between NHI and primary care providers for this financial year 2025 through to 2026. We are requesting copies of the annual NHI budget proposal for 2 fiscal years, this year and what is projected for next year because you know we budget in 3 year cycles. A full schedule, this is important, a full schedule of all services covered under NHI including reimbursement rates, consultation fees, procedure fees, lab fees, diagnostic fees, pharmaceutical reimbursements, administrative fees, and all other compensation paid to providers. A schedule of all payment to primary care providers for 2024, 2025, and 2026."
"We're also requesting, the policies, the guidelines, the evaluation criteria, the audits, the compliance reviews, the performance assessments and internal reports related to NHI administration."
UDP Senator Patrick Faber took to the podium to first express concern that he's noticed a pattern of senators being shut down during sessions. He alluded to when Glenford Dennison tried to bring up the hustle that police officers sometimes do at checkpoints, as well as the most recent meeting where Sheena Pitts tried to criticize the government for not appointing an ombudsman. Here's how he put it.
Patrick Faber, UDP Senator "We must also been concerned in this country about freedom of expression, the ability of our citizenry, the ability of our lawmakers in particular to be able to call out the government without persecution. And I raise this topic very gently, very lily like, very delicately because I know that it is touchy but on behalf of the UDP senators, we have to sound the alarm and even the other senators who are not a part of the government side, we have to sound the alarm that we are now very concerned that our ability to speak freely in the Senate is apparently being stifled and we have seen demonstrations of this, I don't know how many of you keep in tune to the Senate Meetings and that's because in those meetings, the last one went on 13 hours."
"But in the last couple of those meeting, Senator Dennison in particular was in our opinion stifled from discussing matters which he though was important and we agree were important to this nation. In the last sitting of the senate, my colleague the honorable Sheena Pitts was most seriously disallowed from making a point that to me was very valid, the fact that we don't have an ombudsman, the fact that we're making appointments of other constitutionally appointed folks, the contractor general and the integrity commission and senator Pitts used that opportunity to say hey you all are appointing these other people who you say are so very important and immediate but when it comes to the ombudsman you make no haste and she was most unceremoniously shut down from making that point. And so we send the signal loud and clear, respectfully and tactfully, that those who are in control and those who are in authority and who are presiding over these houses must ensure that members have their say, especially as it relates to those who are in opposition and those who don't sit on the government's bench."
Faber then touched on crime, lamenting how after 4 murders in one weekend, neither the police commissioner nor the Minister of Home Affairs has called a press conference. He added that he knew one of the victims who was innocently gunned down.
Patrick Faber, UDP Senator "I was right there when we would have one murderous weekend and then after that the prime minister moves into action, he would go up at Raccoon Street where all the water is raining through right now and there would be a press conference and the prime minister would address the nation with the full top brass of the police. I don't know if it is because the police no longer has a top brass that the minister, well you've heard is… and we make the call before we go any further that Mr Mira must go because he is completely impotent at crime."
"He doesn't have any agenda on fighting crime, he's not concerned about these folks who have been killed, none at all."
"This young man Erick Nelson, 25 years old. I know Erick because Erick goes to St John's Cathedral with me every Sunday Erick is in the Cathedral with his wife and his young child. This isn't no criminal, this is a person who was wearing a red shirt in blue territory. And what does Mr Mira have to say to Erick's family? In fact you know in the cathedral there's new monitor and PTZ cameras and the week before he died he came to me at the end of the service and said Mr Faber I want to learn because I want to be able to help on Sundays mornings to operate the cameras and the TV monitors. Erick was no criminal."
The UDP's chairperson then went in harder on the police commissioner, likening him to a cartoon character. She criticized Rosado's style of leadership and his version of policing.
Sheena Pitts, UDP Chairperson "How many of us listen to Dancehall? they have this song, I don't remember who sung it, but it goes cartoon character. Something. We have a cartoon character for commissioner of police, Caillou. i said it, you don't have to repeat it. Something people think Charlie Brown better than Caillou, I'll put it out to poll, you vote, Commissioner Caillou or Commissioner Charlie Brown. But what we will not do is continue to allow any state overreach in any matter of governance. So no cartoon character police must continue to be Facebook police, no cartoon character government must use parliament to stifle the UDP's voice and no cartoon character police because you don't realize they're operating like we have black squad, we still want know who thief Budna because it's a black squad they used and operate to thief the man."
In the UDP's last press conference, we asked about their municipal slate, and the chairperson became defensive. Well, today she gave us an update-but still no names. However, she said that the party got 90 applications in total. She outlined the numbers for each municipality.
Sheena Pitts, UDP Chairperson "In Belize City, we got a total of 21 applications. That is more than enough for city council and out of the 21 let me tell you how many are for mayor, not one, not two, three."
"For councilor candidates, we got 18 applications, it's not so much seats."
"Let me move on to Belmopan, we got a total of 13 applications for Belmopan and of the 13, two for mayor, 11 for councilors, are you seeing the trend already? It's more than enough."
"In Corozal, we have a total of 11 application, 10 for councilor, 1 for mayor. In Dangriga, fully loaded 17 applications. Out of which, 14 for councilor, 3 for mayor."
"San Ignacio and Santa Elena, 11 applications, 10 of which are councilors, 1 for the mayor."
"For Orange Walk, Punta Gorda, and Benque, we have full slates."
"In San Pedro we have a total of 8 applications, 7 for councilors, 1 for mayor."
"And so the next phase of our gearing up we are meeting with all municipalities and regional leaders and we're going to openly discuss whether conventions are ultimately necessary."
We also asked the Leader of the Opposition about the Belize Electricity Investments Bill, which will see GOB acquiring 8,000,000 preference shares in BEL. The bill continues by saying that they would authorize payment through SSB's Consolidated Revenue Fund.
It sounds like a BEL bailout with SSB money and we asked the UDP what they thought.
Tracy Panton, Leader of the Opposition "73 million, you know we talk about these figures like we're talking about a couple hundred here and a couple hundred there. It's millions. The debt, close to a billion with a b. 73 million dollars for a bail out of BEL. Well I think I am sure that you have an idea where the UDP stands on that issue, it's where we stand on the BTL issue. And I don't want to preempt the House Committee meeting that will be held tomorrow that I will be attending to look at the bill critically and to get the input from the technical people who have put that bill together. I don't want to prejudice that process but I will tell you, if following that meeting we get any hint that we are going to capitalize, use our SSB money for bailout of BEL you will be the first to know. Because I asked the question yesterday, I was in Belmopan for another bill, and when I asked the members of the PUP government where the 73 million dollars were coming from, they were not quite sure but they said it's not the SSB. They're not quite sure so we are going to insist tomorrow that we understand where government is going to source 73 million dollars but here's the crux of the matter, wherever they source it from, you know who will pay? The Belizean taxpayer."
Reports tell us that the proposal is now before Social Security's Investment Committee, which might not support it.
And finally, last week, you saw how the floodwaters shredded parts of the Coastal Highway. Panton said that the UDP had the design plans for a climate-resilient highway, but the PUP cut costs to save money. And now Panton says they're seeing the effects.
Tracy Panton, Leader of the Opposition "We see before our very eyes what happen when you tamper with a project properly designed under the UDP, properly financed under the UDP to ensure we had this climate resilient t infrastructure that we know we need because the climate patterns are changing and we know we're going to have natural disasters that wear heavily on our public infrastructure but Julius Espat and the PUP government grandstand, we're saving 28 million dollars, that the contract was bloated and inflated, because we had built in measures and design infrastructure that would help the highways and roadways of this country to remain robust. Let us see how much we will have to pay to fix it."
Belizean Kyron Swaso emerged as the leader of a hunger strike at the California immigration detention center and has been deported back to Belize.
This has sparked allegations of retaliation from immigrant rights advocates in the US. According to the Immigrant Defenders Law Center, Swaso was removed from the United States after being transferred through detention facilities in Texas and Louisiana. His deportation came less than two weeks after he met with members of the U.S. Congress and helped present a petition signed by 150 detainees at the Adelanto ICE Processing Center in California. The petition detailed complaints about mold, contaminated drinking water, inadequate food, limited medical care, and other poor living conditions.
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security says Swaso was deported under standard procedures after receiving a final order of removal. DHS said Swaso entered the U.S. on a tourist visa in 2019 and overstayed. The agency also alleged he had been accused of crimes, including aggravated assault of a police officer and possession of firearms and drugs.
We spoke with Swaso today who disputed the claim and said he was not deported. He says he was given a stay of removal and claims that he will be suing the US government for how he was treated. Swaso said that he was legally in the United States on a valid B1/B2 visa when he was detained in 2024 following a traffic stop. He said he was unable to produce his travel documents during the stop, leading officers to contact ICE.
Today when he contacted his attorney in the US, she gave us a quote from Melissa Shepard, legal services director stating: "By targeting the forums, ICE is trying to silence the people sounding the alarm and continue abusive practices without public scrutiny. Mr. Swaso and others are taking this risk because the conditions are unbearable, and lives are on the line."
For now, Swaso remains in Belize-where he says he is managing a number of businesses.
Today we celebrated and recognized the women of the sea-those who fish, dive, and harvest seaweed for a living, and the women who work within the maritime industry.
The Wildlife Conservation Society and the National Women in Fisheries Association held its 9th annual women in fisheries forum, which featured a panel discussion, presentations, and also a Blue Space Marketplace where participants showcased and advertised their marine and value-added products. Jomarie Lanza was at the event and here's how it went:
The Wildlife Conservation Society is celebrating its 9th Women In Fisheries Forum, engaging with women who operate within the small scale fisheries value chain in Belize.
These are not just women who fish, but also the women who women who process seaweed, manage cooperatives and also households that make their living from the sea. Today we got a chance to learn more about these women and their contributions within the maritime sector,
Ralna Lamb Lewis, Marine Conservation Director, WCS "The theme this year is really looking at the Blue economy space and looking at how women are currently engaged in the blue economy, what opportunities exist, what type of access is needed for them to actually take hold of the Blue economy and actually work within the blue economy space so with that we have the blue space market place which by we are highlighting women who currently have businesses within that space, we have women from the seaweed farm, women who are also working in terms of sargassum work just women who are utilizing whatever resources within the Blue economy space in order for them to generate an income to benefit themselves, their households as well as their communities."
Many of these women struggle to sustain their families and livelihoods. Because their work is undocumented, they are often cut off from vital resources. However, Director Lewis notes that providing access to these opportunities would allow them to progress within the sector.
Ralna Lamb Lewis, Marine Conservation Director, WCS "Some of the work that women dow within this space is not apart of the formal workplace. Like for example women who do processing, what access is there? What type of social protection exists for these women I mean in terms of, how can they access resources for themselves? Processing is like and entrepreneurial type of job I would say, and if they get injured you know what type of benefits exist when they are ready to retire so that is one of the things we really want to look at how can women access these resources? And how can these resources be made more readily available for them because there are certain structures in place you know we have social security and so on, but how can women, how can these resources be more available that they would want to tap in to it and utilize it so those are some of the constraints we find in terms of women occupying within this space. They are not documented, even if for example you work within your family household, you are not documented as a worker I mean a lot of these women sell their products to the cooperatives under their husband's or their spouses names again it is not documented that they are fishing and selling their products so there are certain constraints within that. So it is just working with these women so we can identify, and for us to support them to access these opportunities out there for them and for them to be documented."
While women make up just 3% to 7% of licensed commercial fishers - mostly based in the South - they depend deeply on the sea for their survival. Operating as both fisherwomen and agro-processors, they shared their firsthand experiences navigating the industry.
Paula Jacob Williams, Chairlady, Punta Negra "Me I do, fishing, tourism, we do different dishes like coconut oil we do coconut fudge, whatever else is to do I do because I raise chickens, I used to dive when I was a little younger but I don't do that again, so mostly conchs I don't do lobsters."
"It is kind of challenging and the thing is I am an I can woman, and I will do, but the thing is because I grew up in a family of 14 I am the baby of the bunch but we are locally fishers and then over the years we diverse into different tourism, and things and I have represented Belize at the UN in New York I represented Belize, in Mexico, Panama, in Florida as a fisher woman."
Vonetta Dawson, Fisherwoman "So I am a full fisher, I am diverse in the sea I do deep slope fishing, I do fishing inside the reef, outside of the reef I do diving lobster and conch's so I am diverse in the sea not like Ms Paula she is diverse on land. I live on an island I live on the fishing camp I don't live on the mainland so living out there and having an area that I have lobster trap and so on the security out at sea is needed in that case because a lot of the hand line fishers that don't do diving or don't own any area that they do shades are mostly being driven away these people come with their guns and their crowd and they will tell you they don't want to fish in the area so I will always say I notice that the government put fishers all in one basket and we are different types of fishers."
"And If I'm not mistaken I was apart of one of the all girls boat in Belize that I know of it was three of us, three ladies, yes there were guys there but the owner who was my cousin he refused to mix the girls and boys together so we had to go on our boats and be on our own, so I was proud to be in an all ladies boat from young and I continue."
Jalima Gold, Founding member, Belize Women Seaweed Farmers Association "Once we got into, we started our association we didn't really know there was going to be a lot of different aspects to it there is the farming, the processing, the value adding so our association is involved in all those different aspects but where we can help ourselves economically the best as Belizeans is value adding our products and so the way the association is set up, we are more of an umbrella association and our members have their own small value added businesses and so we have people that make soaps, powders and we have people that make hair products and a lot of different things you can make anything from it just the plain gel we have seaweed shakes so what the association does is It really tries to help the members with their small businesses and value adding, we work with Beltraide, we work with a lot of different organizations on packaging, labels getting it market ready and doing stuff like that."
17 days ago the Prime Minister told us that despite a back and forth with the Ministry of the Public Service, the transfers of customs officers will proceed:
[CUE IN]
[CUE OUT]
Well, it might not. Despite the very serious resolve of the Minister of Finance that about 15 customs officers from the western and the northern borders are going to be transferred, word to 7News tonight is that they may mount a legal challenge to resist the transfer.
7News has confirmed that those customs officers-who received their letter of transfer this week-are seeking legal advice and may seek an injunction to block the transfers. That's because the Ministry of Public Service put out a memorandum in April saying there would be no transfers this year. They claim that based on that, they started making arrangements to remain where they were-and that the transfer coming so late is affecting their legitimate expectation.
We'll see where it goes; they are currently waiting on an amendment to the transfer directive.
Last week Thursday when we spoke with the Minister of Infrastructure Development & Housing, we asked him about how the weather can potentially affect the numerous infrastructure projects taking place across the country, specifically in the Cayo and Belize districts. Well, the Minister said that what it directly impacts is the cost of the projects, but the weather is always factored in by the contractors:
Julius Espat, Minister of Infrastructure Development & Housing "It's not affecting us that much, at least up to now we haven't had any complaints from the contractors. When you get a contract like this they know that they're going into the dry season and they try to do as much as they can during the dry and they know that they will go into the rainy season and to be honest with you, our rains with last year's experience have not been as normal as before. We have had less rains, the contract includes whatever they need to get the work done , what's affecting us more than anything else is the increase worldwide of fuel. That yes, has a direct impact on on the cost of the project and we're looking at that right now, but apart from that the contractors are capable enough to be able to handle the adversity. Now if you have it, it will be one or two days that they have a delay but the contractors don't want a delay because they want to finish it, finish at the best quality they can within the best time that they can because that way it is more profitable for them. We on the other side want it to be done the exact same way because we want the quality to b done properly and if there's a deficiency which that's part of everything you do they're held by a warranty period they have to deal with."
Last week Thursday when we spoke with the Minister of Infrastructure Development & Housing, we asked him about how the weather can potentially affect the numerous infrastructure projects taking place across the country, specifically in the Cayo and Belize districts. Well, the Minister said that what it directly impacts is the cost of the projects, but the weather is always factored in by the contractors:
Julius Espat, Minister of Infrastructure Development & Housing "It's not affecting us that much, at least up to now we haven't had any complaints from the contractors. When you get a contract like this they know that they're going into the dry season and they try to do as much as they can during the dry and they know that they will go into the rainy season and to be honest with you, our rains with last year's experience have not been as normal as before. We have had less rains, the contract includes whatever they need to get the work done , what's affecting us more than anything else is the increase worldwide of fuel. That yes, has a direct impact on on the cost of the project and we're looking at that right now, but apart from that the contractors are capable enough to be able to handle the adversity. Now if you have it, it will be one or two days that they have a delay but the contractors don't want a delay because they want to finish it, finish at the best quality they can within the best time that they can because that way it is more profitable for them. We on the other side want it to be done the exact same way because we want the quality to b done properly and if there's a deficiency which that's part of everything you do they're held by a warranty period they have to deal with."
Highway Renewal Adds Extra Travel Delays
And with the constant construction comes the rehabilitation of the George Price Highway. If you're taking a drive from Belize City to Belmopan City, you would notice that you would need to be taking several stops near Chukka, then again near Kiki Witz. Well, the Minister says progress brings problems and there's more wait time motorists will have to factor in when they travel:
Julius Espat, Minister of Infrastructure Development & Housing "You will stop more because we haven't finished the the middle section, we haven't started the middle section between La Democracia and Hattieville so instead of those two, you will have about four. It's part of the process and then we will have I wouldn't say problems but you will have traffic backup in the city when the two bridges so progress brings problems this is one of the problems. We will be there to be able to minimize it and to in coordination with the Ministry of transport try to make it as easy as possible but when the Haulover was being done we had similar complaints that we will take an x amount of time to reach work and I used to go to cabinet and I would hear it from my cabinet members, I would hear it from texts from people that oh, I can't handle this traffic, we are in traffic for more than 5 minutes and then I would ask them have you traveled to Central America, have you been to Mexico City, have you been to Guatemala, have you been to El Salvador, have you been to other countries where every single day you're in the traffic for 2 hours so we're blessed in Belize and we have to appreciate those things and if you want progress you have to be able to be patient with some of the difficulties that come up."
Rural Villages Receive Water Infrastructure Boost
Yesterday the Ministry of Rural Transformation handed over $340,000 worth of water system equipment and maintenance supplies to 15 villages across the Cayo, Stann Creek, and Toledo districts which will enable these communities to have access to potable water. The donation consisted of water tanks, pipes, water meters, and plumbing materials. Here are the highlights from the handing over ceremony:
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Tonight, there is an explosive flurry of allegations directed at the Deputy Chief Forest Officer, John Pinelo. And he is counter-accusing businessman Cesar Godinez-who has a number of logging licenses.
"Well, Jules, when you sent me that and asked me, I comically tell you, please send it to me, so I know which company I am on."
Nearly eleven months after a fatal traffic accident claimed the life of a police officer Arcenio Cus on the Philip Goldson Highway, businessman and Thirsty Thursday owner Khris Rosado has pleaded guilty to causing death by careless conduct.
Marvin Cal, who was found guilty of causing death by careless conduct in a fatal traffic accident that claimed the life of Oscar Rhodas, was today sentenced to 47 days imprisonment, time already served, and released from custody.
A man has been sentenced to 30 years for a murder which occurred back in 2023. Lyson Cacho changed his plea to guilty in the middle of the trial after damning footage was entered into evidence. The footage showed when Cacho and the victim Jordan Waight hanging out on Barbara Harris Street before Cacho jumped on a bike and shot Waight.
Today the UDP held a 2-hour press conference where, as usual, they discussed the most pressing issues facing the country. At the top of that list was the revelations of GOB's dealings with companies associated with Oscar Mira's relatives. As we told you, there have been hundreds of payments from the government to Mira's sister Jenny that are all less than $10,000 in order to avoid scrutiny from the Ministry of Finance.
"We have submitted a freedom of information request to the prime minister and the Minister of Finance seeking all public records and documents relating to contracts, memorandums of understanding, procurement arrangements, purchase orders, payment schedules, invoices, tender documents, and related agreements involving Jenny Mira, Mount Pleasant Farms Limited, MP Farms Limited, FAST Construction Company Limited, FTW Company Limited, and any related entities for the period of 2020 to date."
And tonight there is more information about scores of payments being made from the Ministry of Defence to another Mira family member-this time it's brother Brian. 7News has just received a fivescome of screenshots that show about 70 payments being made to Brian Mira's company MP, or Mount Pleasant Farms-and they follow the same pattern-all under ten thousand dollars.
And the person who first leaked Mira's SmartStream dealings on Facebook was John Saldivar. Since then, he's been continuously attacking Mira on social media, putting in more work than some of the other UDPs. So we asked the party leader if they would consider letting him back in.
"We spent the latter part of almost 2 hours and our focus must be the corruption of Oscar Mira and any citizen in this country has the right to raise concerns about Oscar Mira and the corruption but let me assure you the UDP has a well established well prepared caretaker in the like of Mr Khalid Belisle. And Mr Khalid Belisle will be representing the UDP in the next election."
UDP Senator Patrick Faber took to the podium to first express concern that he's noticed a pattern of senators being shut down during sessions. He alluded to when Glenford Dennison tried to bring up the hustle that police officers sometimes do at checkpoints, as well as the most recent meeting where Sheena Pitts tried to criticize the government for not appointing an ombudsman. Here's how he put it.
"But in the last couple of those meeting, Senator Dennison in particular was in our opinion stifled from discussing matters which he though was important and we agree were important to this nation. In the last sitting of the senate, my colleague the honorable Sheena Pitts was most seriously disallowed from making a point that to me was very valid, the fact that we don't have an ombudsman, the fact that we're making appointments of other constitutionally appointed folks, the contractor general and the integrity commission and senator Pitts used that opportunity to say hey you all are appointing these other people who you say are so very important and immediate but when it comes to the ombudsman you make no haste and she was most unceremoniously shut down from making that point. And so we send the signal loud and clear, respectfully and tactfully, that those who are in control and those who are in authority and who are presiding over these houses must ensure that members have their say, especially as it relates to those who are in opposition and those who don't sit on the government's bench."
Faber then touched on crime, lamenting how after 4 murders in one weekend, neither the police commissioner nor the Minister of Home Affairs has called a press conference. He added that he knew one of the victims who was innocently gunned down.
"How many of us listen to Dancehall? they have this song, I don't remember who sung it, but it goes cartoon character. Something. We have a cartoon character for commissioner of police, Caillou. i said it, you don't have to repeat it. Something people think Charlie Brown better than Caillou, I'll put it out to poll, you vote, Commissioner Caillou or Commissioner Charlie Brown. But what we will not do is continue to allow any state overreach in any matter of governance. So no cartoon character police must continue to be Facebook police, no cartoon character government must use parliament to stifle the UDP's voice and no cartoon character police because you don't realize they're operating like we have black squad, we still want know who thief Budna because it's a black squad they used and operate to thief the man."
And finally, last week, you saw how the floodwaters shredded parts of the Coastal Highway. Panton said that the UDP had the design plans for a climate-resilient highway, but the PUP cut costs to save money. And now Panton says they're seeing the effects.
Belizean Kyron Swaso emerged as the leader of a hunger strike at the California immigration detention center and has been deported back to Belize.
This has sparked allegations of retaliation from immigrant rights advocates in the US. According to the Immigrant Defenders Law Center, Swaso was removed from the United States after being transferred through detention facilities in Texas and Louisiana. His deportation came less than two weeks after he met with members of the U.S. Congress and helped present a petition signed by 150 detainees at the Adelanto ICE Processing Center in California. The petition detailed complaints about mold, contaminated drinking water, inadequate food, limited medical care, and other poor living conditions.
Today we celebrated and recognized the women of the sea-those who fish, dive, and harvest seaweed for a living, and the women who work within the maritime industry.
"The theme this year is really looking at the Blue economy space and looking at how women are currently engaged in the blue economy, what opportunities exist, what type of access is needed for them to actually take hold of the Blue economy and actually work within the blue economy space so with that we have the blue space market place which by we are highlighting women who currently have businesses within that space, we have women from the seaweed farm, women who are also working in terms of sargassum work just women who are utilizing whatever resources within the Blue economy space in order for them to generate an income to benefit themselves, their households as well as their communities."
While women make up just 3% to 7% of licensed commercial fishers - mostly based in the South - they depend deeply on the sea for their survival. Operating as both fisherwomen and agro-processors, they shared their firsthand experiences navigating the industry.
"So I am a full fisher, I am diverse in the sea I do deep slope fishing, I do fishing inside the reef, outside of the reef I do diving lobster and conch's so I am diverse in the sea not like Ms Paula she is diverse on land. I live on an island I live on the fishing camp I don't live on the mainland so living out there and having an area that I have lobster trap and so on the security out at sea is needed in that case because a lot of the hand line fishers that don't do diving or don't own any area that they do shades are mostly being driven away these people come with their guns and their crowd and they will tell you they don't want to fish in the area so I will always say I notice that the government put fishers all in one basket and we are different types of fishers."
"Once we got into, we started our association we didn't really know there was going to be a lot of different aspects to it there is the farming, the processing, the value adding so our association is involved in all those different aspects but where we can help ourselves economically the best as Belizeans is value adding our products and so the way the association is set up, we are more of an umbrella association and our members have their own small value added businesses and so we have people that make soaps, powders and we have people that make hair products and a lot of different things you can make anything from it just the plain gel we have seaweed shakes so what the association does is It really tries to help the members with their small businesses and value adding, we work with Beltraide, we work with a lot of different organizations on packaging, labels getting it market ready and doing stuff like that."
Last week Thursday when we spoke with the Minister of Infrastructure Development & Housing, we asked him about how the weather can potentially affect the numerous infrastructure projects taking place across the country, specifically in the Cayo and Belize districts. Well, the Minister said that what it directly impacts is the cost of the projects, but the weather is always factored in by the contractors:
"It's not affecting us that much, at least up to now we haven't had any complaints from the contractors. When you get a contract like this they know that they're going into the dry season and they try to do as much as they can during the dry and they know that they will go into the rainy season and to be honest with you, our rains with last year's experience have not been as normal as before. We have had less rains, the contract includes whatever they need to get the work done , what's affecting us more than anything else is the increase worldwide of fuel. That yes, has a direct impact on on the cost of the project and we're looking at that right now, but apart from that the contractors are capable enough to be able to handle the adversity. Now if you have it, it will be one or two days that they have a delay but the contractors don't want a delay because they want to finish it, finish at the best quality they can within the best time that they can because that way it is more profitable for them. We on the other side want it to be done the exact same way because we want the quality to b done properly and if there's a deficiency which that's part of everything you do they're held by a warranty period they have to deal with."
