A new controversy has erupted in Belmopan as of June 18, 2026, centered on allegations that the family of local Area Representative Oscar Mira has taken control of a substantial plot of public land marked for industrial development on the city’s outskirts. Khalid Belisle, a former mayor of Belmopan and current United Democratic Party (UDP) caretaker for the area, has publicly raised alarm over the questionable transfer of more than 31 acres of prime land in the far eastern edge of Belmopan, a parcel that abuts the city boundary near the capital’s new public cemetery.
According to Belisle, the plot in question was originally zoned exclusively for industrial projects, a status that made the sudden transfer of ownership to Mira’s close relatives, and potentially Mira himself, all the more unusual. Compounding public frustration over the deal, Belisle notes that widespread complaints have circulated across social media for months from ordinary Belizean residents claiming that no public land is still available for distribution to general applicants in Belmopan.
“If there is truly no more public land left to allocate to everyday residents, then the public deserves an explanation as to why members of the area representative’s inner circle were able to secure these 31 acres before other applicants who have waited in line for years,” Belisle argued in comments during a televised evening newscast. He stopped short of making an outright allegation of illegal activity, but emphasized that the situation carries poor public optics that demand a full, independent investigation.
Belisle also expressed support for opposition leader and UDP party head Tracy Taegar Panton, who has already filed a formal Freedom of Information Act request to obtain full documentation of the land transfers, laying out the history of the parcel’s reclassification and change in ownership. “I am not rushing to pass judgment before all the facts come to light,” Belisle said, echoing the assessment shared by the current Chief Executive Officer of Belize’s Ministry of Defense: the appearance of the deal is far from what the public should accept from elected officials. “We are waiting for the full story to be released, and until then, the public has every right to ask tough questions about how this public resource was handled.”