On July 1, 2026, Belizean Prime Minister John Briceño pushed back firmly against public claims that his People’s United Party (PUP) administration is facing a governing crisis, following a high-stakes development in the ongoing Mira Millions corruption investigation: Defence Minister Florencio Marin Jr has formally requested a 90-day leave of absence from his post.
Speaking to reporters Wednesday morning, Briceño rejected the framing of the unfolding scandal as a catastrophic threat to his government, pointing to the stability of his parliamentary bloc. “No, it’s not creating a crisis. Remember, it’s 26 of us,” he told media outlets, emphasizing that the majority of his party remains unified despite the ongoing probe.
Briceño confirmed that Marin reached out to him personally to request the temporary leave, explaining that the step is intended to eliminate any perception of political interference as the auditor general’s office completes its investigation into suspicious activities at the Ministry of Defence. According to the prime minister, Marin has consistently maintained that he has not engaged in any illegal activity connected to the case, but believes stepping down temporarily is the most responsible choice for both his party and the integrity of the audit process.
“He believes that he didn’t do anything illegal, but he thinks that it would be best for the government, for him, to step back for the next 90 days, then we get a report and then take it from there,” Briceño explained, outlining the path forward once the auditor general issues its final findings.
Marin’s decision to step aside comes after weeks of growing public scrutiny over questionable payments documented in Smart Stream invoices. The records link five siblings of Oscar Mira, the Belmopan Area Representative, to millions of dollars in disbursements from the Ministry of Defence, prompting the launch of the official independent audit. Since the details of the payments emerged, multiple senior government officials connected to the case — including Mira himself, Minister Andre Perez, and Marin — have declined to address the allegations directly, instead deferring all questions to the ongoing audit process.
Prior to Marin’s leave request, Financial Secretary Joseph Waight had already publicly outlined the formal payment approval structure used by the Ministry of Defence, breaking down the multi-step process: a junior clerk first prepares invoices for payment, a designated financial officer then approves the disbursement, and a senior accounting officer conducts a final review and authorizes the transaction before payment is issued.