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  • Mohameds’ Extradition Hearing: Police intelligence spy chief admits to gaps in written statement

    Mohameds’ Extradition Hearing: Police intelligence spy chief admits to gaps in written statement

    On Thursday, 3 September 2026, a senior leader of Guyana’s national law enforcement acknowledged multiple critical discrepancies in his official sworn statement connected to a high-profile U.S. extradition request for two prominent Guyanese businessmen. Senior Superintendent Prem Narine, head of the Guyana Police Force’s Special Branch, made these admissions while undergoing cross-examination from lead defence counsel Siand Dhurjon during ongoing court proceedings.

    Over the course of questioning, Narine attributed multiple factual inaccuracies in his November 2025 written statement to simple typographical errors, and attempted to clarify gaps in the original document by adding previously unrecorded details. The first inconsistency centered on the date Narine claimed he received the official Authority To Proceed (ATP) for the extradition from Guyana’s Minister of Home Affairs Oneidge Walrond. His written statement incorrectly listed the date of receipt as 31 October 2025, a mistake Narine dismissed as a typo when pressed by Dhurjon.

    The second major discrepancy involved Narine’s original claim that he personally collected the full U.S. extradition request from Guyana’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, alongside the ATP from the Home Affairs Minister. When confronted with this claim, Narine once again stated the line was the result of a typographical error. Further questioning revealed a more consequential omission: Narine confirmed to the court that he never witnessed either minister sign the extradition-related documents in person on the day he collected them. Instead, he acknowledged he actually picked up both the ATP and required Section 6 Certificate from a female administrative staff member at the offices of the Attorney General of Guyana – a detail completely missing from his two-page official statement, with no mention of the visit to the Attorney General’s Carmichael Street premises at all.

    In his explanation, Narine clarified that while the two documents were officially issued by the respective ministries, and he recognized the ministers’ signatures on the paperwork, they were routed through the Attorney General’s chambers for collection. The 26-year veteran police officer also agreed during cross-examination that drafting accurate, transparent statements after an investigation is one of the core responsibilities of any policing officer, and that official police statements are intended to be fully transparent records of first-hand information.

    The two businessmen at the center of the extradition request, Azruddin Mohamed and Nazar Mohamed, are wanted by U.S. federal authorities to stand trial on charges of wire fraud, mail fraud, and money laundering. The charges are linked to their billion-dollar international trading operation, making this one of the most high-stakes extradition matters Guyana’s legal system has handled in recent years.

  • Parlement onderbreekt reces voor behandeling Surinamerschapwet

    Parlement onderbreekt reces voor behandeling Surinamerschapwet

    On Thursday, the National Assembly of Suriname (DNA) made the decision to push forward the debate on a proposed amendment to the Surinamese Citizenship and Residency Act to the coming Monday, citing the need for additional preparatory work from the bill’s sponsors. The legislative proposal, which carries direct implications for the eligibility of Suriname’s national men’s football team in upcoming FIFA World Cup qualifiers, will not move to substantive discussion until backers submit a formal amendment note outlining adjusted text of the bill. Lawmakers have already agreed to interrupt their scheduled parliamentary recess to convene for the vote, highlighting the urgent national importance of the legislation.

    The bill was initially tabled for debate on Thursday, but after hours of closed-door internal caucus negotiations, assembly leadership opted to delay the substantive debate rather than move forward with an incomplete draft. Assembly Speaker Ashwin Adhin explained that multiple stakeholder submissions had been received, and the bill’s original sponsors have confirmed they intend to introduce revisions to the original text. Thursday’s session opened more than six hours behind its scheduled start time before adjourning to await the revised amendment note, which is required to be released no later than Friday.

    Adhin noted that holding deep, meaningful debate with both sponsors and the administration before the adjusted text is finalized would be unproductive. The amendment note will be distributed to all parliamentary caucuses over the weekend to allow for full review before Monday’s resumption of debate, scheduled for 9:30 a.m. local time.

    The original initiative to amend the 1975 Citizenship and Residency Act was first submitted to the DNA on August 18 by a cross-party group of sitting lawmakers: Ebu Jones of the National Democratic Party (NDP), Steven Reyme of the A20 party, Geffery Lau of the National Party of Suriname (NPS), and Edgar Sampi of the Progressive Bottleneck Party (ABOP). The proposed changes address longstanding questions around Surinamese nationality law, particularly for people of Surinamese descent born and residing outside of the country’s borders, a category that includes many professional footballers playing for European clubs.

    Current eligibility rules under FIFA allow players to represent a national team if they can prove ancestral ties to the country through citizenship, making this legislative amendment critical to clearing eligibility for a number of Suriname’s top players ahead of qualifiers.

    Asiskumar Gajadien, parliamentary leader of the ruling VHP party, has called for President Chan Santokhi (referred to in earlier reporting as President Simons) to attend Monday’s plenary session in person. Gajadien argued that the amendment represents a far-reaching policy change that will reshape nationality for generations of Surinamese, and parliament deserves to hear directly from the head of state on the administration’s preferred policy direction ahead of a vote. Adhin confirmed that he will formally transmit the request to the president, and that the revised amendment note will be sent to Santokhi for his review ahead of the session.

    NPS parliamentary leader Jerrel Pawiroredjo echoed the sentiment of the VHP, emphasizing the unique national significance of the bill. He framed revisions to citizenship law as a matter tied directly to both Suriname’s national pride and core national interest, noting that the changes touch on fundamental questions of national identity that require careful, deliberate consideration rather than hasty passage. All caucus leaders have confirmed they will pause their scheduled recess and return to the capital for Monday’s vote, a step that reflects the broad consensus across parties on the urgency of the issue.

    In a separate statement addressing concerns over delayed attendance by cabinet ministers on Thursday, Minister of Justice and Security Harish Monorath clarified that all relevant members of the administration were present and waiting in the assembly building from 11:00 a.m. local time, but that a parliamentary quorum was only reached much later in the day. Monorath reaffirmed that the administration remains fully committed to fulfilling its responsibility to participate in all stages of parliamentary debate on the amendment.

  • 19 years later, murder charge for Dodds inmate

    19 years later, murder charge for Dodds inmate

    Almost two decades after Karen Allamby was found dead, a major development has finally unfolded in her cold murder case: a 48-year-old inmate currently held at Dodds Prison has been officially charged with the crime.

    The accused, Antonio Ryan Bullen, made his first court appearance on Thursday at District ‘A’ Magistrates’ Court, following the filing of charges by investigators from the Barbados Police Service’s elite Major Crime Unit. Court documents specifically allege that Bullen unlawfully killed Allamby at some point between April 1 and April 16, 2007, matching the timeline of her death nearly 17 years ago.

    Following the brief initial hearing, the case has been adjourned to allow for further procedural and investigative steps, with the next court listing scheduled for October 1. For community members and those connected to the victim, the long-awaited filing of charges marks a key milestone in a case that has remained unresolved for nearly two decades. The court process will now move forward to address the allegations against Bullen in the months ahead.

  • RAS Simba to appeal High Court ruling on sacramental cannabis

    RAS Simba to appeal High Court ruling on sacramental cannabis

    A prominent Rastafarian rights advocate in Barbados is pushing forward with a legal battle to expand religious access to cannabis, confirming he will challenge a recent High Court ruling that upheld the constitutionality of the country’s existing cannabis regulations. Paul Ras Simba Rock, who launched a constitutional challenge against Barbados’ Drug Abuse Prevention and Control Act and Sacramental Cannabis Act (SCA), has denounced the court’s judgment as legally unfounded and says he will take his case to the Barbados Court of Appeal.

    In the original ruling handed down at the Supreme Court No. 8, Justice Michelle Weekes found both pieces of legislation compatible with Barbados’ constitution, justifying the current restrictions on the grounds of protecting public health, maintaining community safety and upholding public order. Under the existing framework, legal sacramental cannabis use is limited exclusively to officially registered tabernacles and recognized places of worship. Justice Weekes rejected the challenge to this provision, arguing that the restriction does not violate constitutional protections for religious freedom, personal privacy, or freedom from discrimination. In her written judgment, she clarified that the judiciary’s role does not include rewriting legislation or creating new legal exemptions, noting that the SCA already extends a specific accommodation to Rastafarians that is not available to the general public.

    Represented by attorney Lalu Hanuman, Ras Simba Rock argued during the original challenge that confining sacramental cannabis use to official worship spaces unlawfully encroaches on core personal and religious liberties. His legal team specifically highlighted a gap in the law that excludes Rastafarian women who are unable to attend formal tabernacle gatherings for various reasons and must practice their faith in private home spaces, a scenario not permitted under the current statute.

    Speaking out after the ruling, Ras Simba Rock expressed firm conviction that the legal justifications for the High Court’s decision are weak at best. “I’ve appealed the case. The grounds on which I lost are very flimsy,” he stated, also noting the lack of substantial media coverage of his challenge was unusual. Beyond the specific legal details of his case, he voiced deep frustration that the ruling perpetuates what he calls the systemic denial of full constitutional rights to Rastafarians in Barbados. “We are left as a subsection out of the Barbadian community,” he said, emphasizing the broader marginalization the community faces as a result of the restriction.

    The ruling also carries tangible harms for local communities and small-scale young cannabis cultivators, Ras Simba Rock explained. Currently, cultivators who wish to grow cannabis for sacramental use outside registered worship spaces are forced to cultivate crops in secret, often hidden in cane fields and remote wooded areas. If the challenge had succeeded, he argued, cultivators would have been able to grow cannabis legally within the privacy of their own homes, reducing the prevalence of unregulated hidden cultivation across the island. “A win for me would have meant that probably a lot of the youngsters who had to resort to the canefields and the bushes … wouldn’t be growing at anybody’s homes,” he said. “And if [they] were able to plant and cultivate within the privacy of their own home, whatever amounts, I’m sure the amounts being found in the bushes and things will be lessened.”

    Beyond its immediate impact, the outcome of Ras Simba Rock’s challenge has already delayed resolution for multiple other pending cannabis cases involving members of the Rastafarian community. The activist revealed that several other Rastafarians currently facing cannabis possession charges, all arrested with small numbers of plants near their homes, have opted not to plead guilty while waiting for the result of his constitutional challenge. The negative High Court ruling has now left those cases in limbo, hanging on the outcome of the upcoming appeal.

  • New regional law school is not only for Guyanese, says Attorney General at sod-turning

    New regional law school is not only for Guyanese, says Attorney General at sod-turning

    On Thursday, September 3, 2026, a landmark sod-turning ceremony marked the official start of construction for the Caribbean Council of Legal Education (CLE)’s fourth regional law school, hosted on an 8-acre plot at the University of Guyana’s Turkeyen Campus in Greater Georgetown.

    More than three decades after the idea was first proposed, the initiative is set to address a decades-long gap in access to specialized legal training across the southern Caribbean. Guyana’s Attorney General Anil Nandlall, who joined CLE Chairperson Liesel Weekes, a Trinidad and Tobago-based attorney, for the ceremony, emphasized that the new facility is a regional asset, not an exclusively national institution.

    “While it will be located in Guyana, it is a regional institution to serve the people of the region and to be administered by the regional council administering legal education,” Nandlall explained, noting that organizers intentionally structured the project to serve the entire Caribbean community from its new southern base.

    The push for a fourth CLE law school comes as existing regional institutions struggle to meet soaring demand for legal education. Nandlall pointed out that two established CLE-affiliated schools — Jamaica’s Norman Manley Law School and The Bahamas’ Eugene Dupuch Law School — have for years turned away hundreds of qualified prospective students. Currently, the southern Caribbean is only served by Trinidad’s Hugh Wooding Law School, which has long faced capacity constraints. For decades, just 25 spots were reserved annually for Guyanese University of the West Indies Cave Hill Campus graduates seeking entry, creating significant barriers for local aspiring lawyers.

    The project’s origins stretch back to 1996, when then-Guyanese President Cheddi Jagan first floated the proposal, and former Attorney General Bernard Dos Santos formally tabled the idea before the CLE. The initiative gained new momentum after a years-long feasibility process, led in part by prominent chartered accountant and University of Guyana law lecturer Christopher Ram, who compiled comprehensive data on regional demand to demonstrate the project’s long-term economic and operational viability. Ram’s work analyzed unmet demand across multiple Caribbean jurisdictions, tracking thousands of qualified candidates who had been locked out of existing programs.

    CLE Chairperson Weekes confirmed that after two years of assessments and deliberations, the council formally approved the project following a 2025 meeting, where the feasibility report received unanimous positive feedback. “Guyana ticked all the boxes, and satisfied the Council without a doubt that this school was going to be viable, it was going to be sustainable, and it was long in coming,” Weekes said.

    Nandlall noted that final construction costs will not be confirmed until the winning bidder from 15 competing applicants completes the facility’s design and secures government approval. Once operational, the school is projected to accommodate more than 120 students, opening new training pathways for legal professionals across the southern Caribbean, where population density drives the highest regional demand for legal education.

    With ground now broken, the project closes a 30-year gap between initial proposal and tangible progress, fulfilling a long-held regional goal to expand access to quality legal training across the Caribbean.

  • Families Mourn Couple Killed in Fatal Philip Goldson Highway Crash

    Families Mourn Couple Killed in Fatal Philip Goldson Highway Crash

    On a routine Wednesday morning travel along Belize’s busy Philip Goldson Highway, a catastrophic collision between a motorcycle and a passenger car cut short two lives, leaving two local families shattered by sudden, devastating loss. Thirty-two-year-old Joseph Williams and his 42-year-old partner Sherlene Rodriguez, who had been together for three years, were killed after their motorcycle struck a BMW driven by 22-year-old Pedro Espat near the highway’s Mile Five marker, as the pair traveled toward Belize City to buy parts for their newly purchased motorcycle. Williams was pronounced dead immediately upon arrival at Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital, while Rodriguez succumbed to her critical injuries hours later during emergency treatment. As investigations into the cause of the crash remain ongoing, the bereaved families are already speaking out, urging all road users to prioritize caution to prevent other families from suffering the same unfathomable pain.

    For Williams’ family, the shock of the tragedy has been compounded by an additional heartless violation: just hours after Williams’ death was confirmed, burglars broke into his home, stealing from the property as the family gathered to grieve. Joy Francisco, Williams’ aunt, described the loss as a blow that has left the entire family unable to cope, noting that her nephew was a cautious, non-troublesome driver who never took unnecessary risks behind the handlebars. “I wake up blessed and I pray every day, but by the end of the day I got news like this,” Francisco shared in an interview with News Five. “I always see stories like this on the news, but this one really hurt me, it hit home because Joseph was never a troublesome person. Joseph was not a fast driver, so somebody has to be at fault here. All I want to tell drivers is to have some respect for people on motorcycles too. Be careful on the road, because I carry this pain for my nephew now, and no one else should have to feel this same pain. That is my sister’s only son, and she cannot cope – she has not been able to get out of bed since she heard the news.”

    For Rodriguez’s family, the loss comes after decades of close bond, as Rodriguez – affectionately nicknamed “Tiny” from birth – was raised by her aunt Faith Flores. Rodriguez was born a surprise twin, arriving half an hour after her sister, leading the family to nickname the pair “Biggy and Tiny.” Flores said she first saw early reports of the crash on social media Wednesday morning, but never imagined the victim would be her niece, until a phone call confirmed the unthinkable. “I was scrolling through Facebook, and I saw the accident alert early that morning,” Flores recalled. “But I would never think it was my niece. It said flash news, but they hadn’t released any names, so I just sat there, not thinking anything of it. Around three o’clock, my niece from Dangriga called me and said ‘Auntie, Tiny is dead.’ I just said ‘No, Tiny can’t be dead.’ It is completely shattered our whole family.”

    Jasmine Cadle, Williams’ sister, remembered her brother as a loving, supportive presence who stepped in to care for her children as if they were his own, since he had no children of his own. “Whenever I was going through a hard time or I needed help, I would call my brother, because he is my one and only brother,” Cadle said. “He would always tell me not to worry, that he would take care of whatever I needed. He did not deserve this, this cruel end to his life, even after he died people have to come rob his home.”

    Law enforcement officials confirmed that Espat, the driver of the BMW involved in the crash, has provided a urine sample for alcohol testing, and has been served with a Notice of Intended Prosecution as the official investigation moves forward. As the families wait for answers to lay their loved ones to rest, they share a single urgent message for all motorists: slow down, stay alert, and respect all other users of Belize’s roads to stop further preventable tragedies. This report was prepared by Britney Gordon for News Five.

  • Mira Millions Probe Targets Defense Ministry’s Internal Watchdog

    Mira Millions Probe Targets Defense Ministry’s Internal Watchdog

    As the scheduled late-September release of a major audit into the high-profile Mira Millions defense procurement scandal approaches, the inquiry has expanded beyond senior political leaders to target the Ministry of Defense’s own internal oversight body, deepening questions about systemic failure in Belize’s public procurement framework.

    With three weeks remaining before Auditor General Maria Rodriguez wraps her investigation, investigators are now zeroing in on the ministry’s inspector general, who holds dual roles as the department’s internal auditor. Their core line of inquiry centers on one pressing question: did the top internal oversight official, who was appointed during former Defense Minister Florencio Marin’s tenure and hails from Marin’s Corozal Southeast constituency, catch the questionable procurement transactions at the heart of the scandal – and if so, did he fail to act?

    Declassified 2025 bid documentation obtained by News Five confirms that ration supply contract submissions from the Belize Defense Force (BDF) were sent directly to the inspector general, placing the sensitive procurement materials firmly within his scope of responsibility. As questions around institutional complacency mount, Rodriguez confirmed her ongoing probe has uncovered new allegations of conflicts of interest that stretch far beyond ministerial offices to reach uniformed and civilian personnel within both the BDF and Belize Coast Guard.

    “We have certainly been able to find more issues at the Ministry of Defense that go beyond ministerial interventions. We have public officers also implicated in alleged conflicts of interest,” Rodriguez stated in an interview with News Five. “So this audit has really opened the box to not just look at the ministerial level but also to the entire ministry and its individual entities, like BDF and Coast Guard.”

    Rodriguez expressed surprise at the apparent disregard for established public financial rules among experienced civil servants. “Regulations clearly outline what your role as a finance officer is, what your role as a CEO and public officer is,” she explained. “When we look at these things it is surprising at some level, because you do expect seasoned public officers to be abiding by the regulations and not letting things slide the way they have.”

    The expanding probe has already thrown former senior defense officials back into the public spotlight. Former Defense Minister Oscar Mira, who remains on administrative leave amid the investigation, recently made a high-profile return to public life, appearing at three official government events over three days alongside top ruling People’s United Party (PUP) officials, including Prime Minister John Briceño.

    Briceño made clear he has no objection to Mira’s public activity, noting that the former minister retains his elected position. “Oscar Mira continues to be an area representative. He continues to represent the people of Belmopan and I welcome him to continue to work in Belmopan and for our government,” Briceño said.

    Marin, the other former Defense Minister placed on administrative leave, has taken the opposite approach, stepping back entirely from public and government events since the investigation launched.

    Per the audit timeline, Rodriguez will convene an exit meeting with relevant stakeholders at the end of September to share preliminary findings. Affected parties will then be granted one to two weeks to submit formal responses before the final report is passed to the financial secretary for further review and official action.

    Public pressure for full accountability has been mounting for months. In mid-August, Belizean unions publicly reaffirmed their commitment to pushing for transparency, warning that the scandal exposed critical vulnerabilities in the country’s public procurement system that cannot be ignored.

    “The Ministry of Defense Procurement Scandal cannot be swept under the rug, because it is showing us the weakness in our procurement system,” Glenfield Dennison, a union senator, said in an August 18 statement.

    As investigators continue to untangle layers of alleged misconduct and institutional failure, the central question hanging over the probe remains unchanged: which officials failed to uphold their oversight responsibilities, and what consequences will follow? This report from Paul Lopez, News Five.

    Note: This article is based on a transcript of News Five’s evening television broadcast.

  • Education Ministry Reviews Louisiana School’s Audit Findings

    Education Ministry Reviews Louisiana School’s Audit Findings

    Almost three months after local outlet News Five first revealed that thousands of dollars had vanished from the accounts of Louisiana Government School, Belize’s Education Ministry has confirmed that its full audit into the alleged financial irregularities is complete, and officials are now evaluating results to decide accountability measures for any wrongdoing uncovered. The case first entered the public eye in June 2026, when News Five broke the story of the unexplained missing funds. The report immediately prompted the Education Ministry to launch a formal investigation and independent financial audit of the school’s operations. Now, as the new academic year gets underway and students have returned to campus for in-person classes, Education Minister Francis Fonseca has shared new updates on the progress of the probe. In a public statement, Fonseca detailed the latest status of the ministry’s review, confirming that the full audit process has been wrapped up by department leaders. “The last update I received from the Chief Education Officer and the general manager was that the audit is finished, and they are scheduled to hold meetings with the school principal, the former bursar, and multiple other finance department staff members,” Fonseca explained. “I cannot confirm if those meetings have been held yet, but I can confirm that the ministry is moving forward with follow-up steps rooted in the audit findings. If any misappropriation of public funds is confirmed, we will ensure that every individual involved in the incident is held fully responsible for their actions.” Beyond the ministry’s ongoing review, additional developments have already emerged in the case: multiple sources familiar with the situation have confirmed to News Five that Debbie Palacio, the long-time principal of Louisiana Government School, has stepped down from her position. The outlet notes that this report is a direct transcript of its evening television broadcast, with all transcribed statements rendered accurately using standard spelling conventions for Kriol language comments included in the original segment. As of the publication of this update, no further details on the specific amount of missing funds or potential charges have been released to the public, with the ministry noting it will share additional information once its internal review of the audit is finalized.

  • Fonseca Caught Off Guard by Education Unions Ultimatum

    Fonseca Caught Off Guard by Education Unions Ultimatum

    A major rift has emerged between Belize’s education leadership and the country’s largest teachers’ organization, after the Belize National Teachers’ Union (BNTU) issued a formal 90-day ultimatum to the Ministry of Education, led by Minister Francis Fonseca, centering on 11 core policy and working condition demands.

    At the top of the union’s priority list are demands to reverse recent cuts to educator vacation time, resolve long-running disputes over educator pay scales and professional licensing, and ramp up public funding for the University of Belize (UB), including delivering on a long-standing pledge to increase the institution’s annual government subvention to $15 million.

    In a public statement following the ultimatum, Fonseca acknowledged that the formal public demand caught his ministry by surprise, noting that his team had already been engaged in closed-door bilateral negotiations with the BNTU to address many of the concerns raised in the 11-point list.

    “We’ve already been at the negotiating table with the BNTU, working through these exact issues one by one,” Fonseca explained. “I was surprised to see these demands brought into a broader public forum, but that does not mean we are unwilling to engage. I firmly believe there is significant common ground to find compromise on these issues, and we are committed to working through every point to reach resolution.”

    On the specific demand for full $15 million annual subvention for the University of Belize, Fonseca outlined the progress his administration has made since taking office, when the monthly subvention stood at just $7.5 million annually. Today, the annual subvention sits at $10 million for the current 2026-2027 fiscal year, he noted, adding that progress was slowed by the lingering economic aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic, which forced the government to delay incremental increases for two years before resuming growth in public funding.

    Beyond the core subvention, Fonseca also highlighted that the Ministry of Education provides an additional $20 million per year to support the university through student scholarship and direct financial assistance programs, a contribution that has grown substantially over the past five years. “UB is our nation’s flagship public university, and strengthening it is one of our core priorities,” Fonseca said. “We are always ready to sit down with university leadership and union representatives to continue growing our partnership and expanding support for the institution.”

    Under the terms of the BNTU’s ultimatum, the ministry has 90 days to deliver a formal response to all 11 demands. For the University of Belize subvention request specifically, the union has given the government until the opening of the next national financial year to meet the full $15 million funding commitment.

  • Auditor General Maria Rodriguez Fires Back at PSU President

    Auditor General Maria Rodriguez Fires Back at PSU President

    A sharp public dispute over accountability for destroyed public sector financial records has broken out between Belize’s top auditor and the leader of the nation’s Public Service Union (PSU), raising urgent questions about who holds public officials responsible for misconduct in the Central American country.

    The conflict ignited two weeks prior to Auditor General Maria Rodriguez’s latest response, when PSU President Dean Flowers publicly questioned Rodriguez over why she had not referred more complaints against misbehaving public officers to the Belize Public Service Commission for disciplinary action. At the heart of the disagreement is confusion surrounding authority to initiate disciplinary proceedings after public officers were found to have intentionally destroyed critical financial documents.

    In a pointed public rebuke delivered September 3, Rodriguez pushed back hard against Flowers’ criticism, laying the blame for the current accountability gap at the feet of the unions themselves. She explained that the existing disciplinary rules governing public service employees were not drafted by her office, but were jointly developed by union representatives and the Ministry of Public Service during collective bargaining negotiations.

    Rodriguez emphasized that the agreed-upon framework explicitly reserves the power to initiate disciplinary cases for Chief Executive Officers (CEOs) of government departments, not the Auditor General’s office. Under the established rules, when a CEO submits a case of misconduct — ranging from minor infractions to major violations like the destruction of financial records — the Public Service Commission reviews the matter, with unions even providing legal representation for the accused public officers at commission hearings.

    “I did not write the rules. I did not write the process for disciplinary action,” Rodriguez stressed, dismissing Flowers’ claims that she is shirking her responsibility as untruthful. “So I don’t understand why they are asking me to take someone to the commission. There is no provision in the rules that says the auditor general can bring disciplinary matters directly to the commission. It is very specific: the Chief Executive Officer is the person who needs to initiate the disciplinary proceedings.”

    Beyond the question of disciplinary authority, Rodriguez also highlighted a second major barrier to holding non-compliant public officers accountable: her office lacks the in-house legal staffing required to pursue criminal charges. While officers who destroy or fail to produce financial records can technically face criminal prosecution under existing law, Rodriguez’s office does not employ dedicated legal personnel to move forward with such cases, leaving that pathway to accountability blocked for the time being.

    This report is a transcribed adaptation of an evening television news broadcast from Belize.