As a national audit ordered by Prime Minister John Briceño moves forward, a public dispute over transparency in controversial government payment records has intensified, with the head of Belize’s largest public sector labor organization leveling sharp criticism at top financial oversight officials.
The controversy centers on the government’s SmartStream payment platform, where the Public Service Union (PSU) has alleged widespread intentional circumvention of Treasury safeguards: the union claims senior finance officials have systematically split large public contracts into individual payments valued under $10,000, the threshold that triggers mandatory official oversight. This questionable practice has already been linked to nepotism claims involving relatives of Home Affairs Minister Oscar Mira, prompting the PSU to file a formal Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request for full access to the relevant records.
In the latest development, PSU President Dean Flowers says he has received unsatisfactory responses from both the Office of the Accountant General and the Auditor General, leaving the union no closer to obtaining the public records it is seeking.
Speaking on the issue, Flowers revealed that the Accountant General’s response essentially defers all responsibility for the request to the Auditor General, a move he describes as blatant buck-passing. “She refused to confirm whether she would even review the SmartStream system, flag the problematic payment patterns used by financial officers, or release the names of the officials involved in these practices,” Flowers explained. The Auditor General, for its part, has echoed a common line: it claims releasing any information to the union would jeopardize the ongoing, prime minister-ordered audit.
Flowers has rejected this justification outright, arguing that public access to established factual evidence cannot undermine an official investigation. “Evidence is evidence regardless of who holds it,” he noted. The PSU leader also suggested that the coordinated stonewalling from both oversight offices bears the clear mark of legal direction from the Attorney General’s Ministry.
In a surprising addendum to his criticism, Flowers also voiced disappointment with the response of the Accountant General, a woman appointed to the senior leadership role. The PSU president emphasized that he is a strong proponent of increasing women’s representation in top government positions, but said it is disheartening to see appointees prioritize protecting the existing political status quo over upholding the public’s right to transparency and accountability.
For its part, the Office of the Accountant General has stated it will cooperate fully with the ongoing government audit, a commitment that has done little to defuse the PSU’s demands for public disclosure of the records tied to the alleged nepotism and rule-breaking.