A bitter political feud has erupted in Belize’s capital between former Belmopan Area Representative John Saldivar and his successor in the National Assembly, Oscar Mira, centering on allegations of nepotism and preferential treatment in a multi-million-dollar government vegetable supply contract.
Saldivar, who previously held the post of Minister of National Security and holds the distinction of being the only Belizean labeled “significantly corrupt” by the United States government, has brought forward formal claims of favoritism against the current Belizean administration. Taking to social media to air the accusations, Saldivar shared what he says is a leaked document screenshot proving that millions in public funds have been paid to Jenny Armstrong, Mira’s own sister, for vegetable deliveries to the Ministry of Defense.
According to Saldivar’s allegations, hundreds of small-scale local farmers and independent suppliers have been locked out of public procurement opportunities entirely, so that the contract could be awarded to a relative of a sitting lawmaker. He claims that since 2020, more than $2 million in public money has been paid to Armstrong for vegetable supplies to key government security entities, including the Belize Defense Force (BDF), the Belize Coast Guard, and the national Police Department.
However, top officials at the Ministry of National Defense have pushed back firmly against the claims, arguing that Saldivar’s accusations omit critical context that justifies the temporary purchases from Armstrong. Francis Usher, Chief Executive Officer at the Ministry of National Defense, explained that when he assumed office in March of this year, the original tender process for government food supply contracts was already well underway. A internal review quickly uncovered multiple procedural irregularities in how the bidding process was structured: while supplies were originally advertised to be bid on in bulk lots, suppliers were improperly permitted to submit bids for individual items, breaking procurement rules.
To resolve these compliance issues, officials made the formal decision to cancel the original tender and restart the entire procurement process from scratch. In the gap between canceling the initial bid and finalizing a new, compliant contract, the BDF still faced an urgent need for fresh food, including vegetables, to meet its operational requirements. It was during this interim period that the temporary purchases from Jenny Armstrong were made, Usher confirmed.
Usher emphasized that the temporary arrangement was never intended to be a long-term award, and was solely implemented to keep security forces supplied while administrative corrections to the tender process were completed. As of the latest update, the results of the corrected, new tender process have already been submitted to the Ministry of Finance for formal review and approval, and will next be sent to the Office of the Contractor General for final oversight, Usher added.