In a developing political controversy rocking Belize’s governing administration, Orange Walk North Area Representative and Minister Ramon “Monchi” Cervantes has issued a categorical denial of any involvement in awarding more than $1.1 million in government procurement contracts to J&J Imports, a firm connected to his family, between 2022 and 2025.
The controversy emerged after local outlet News Five obtained and reviewed leaked internal government financial records from the SmartStream system, which detailed the steady stream of payments from the Ministry of National Defence to the import business. Cervantes, who acknowledged a personal familial tie to one of the company’s lead owners, pushed back against any implication of improper influence in an interview, stating firmly: “I had nothing to do with it. I had no involvement in that, at all.”
A deeper examination of the leaked documents reveals a notable pattern in the payment structure: the vast majority of the disbursements were split across dozens of individual invoices each valued below the $10,000 threshold. That same structure was used for more than $275,000 in separate payments to Enrique Javier Requena, another business associate linked to J&J Imports, between 2021 and 2022.
Crucially, as of this reporting, News Five has not uncovered concrete evidence that the invoicing structure itself is illegal, nor that J&J Imports or its associates have committed any explicit wrongdoing. The documents are part of a broader ongoing audit of procurement practices across the entire Ministry of National Defence, launched to examine transparency and compliance in government contracting.
Prime Minister John Briceño has moved quickly to reassure the public that political connections will not shield anyone found to have broken rules. “If there was any wrongdoing, be it public officers or politicians, they will have to answer,” Briceño stated, confirming that no political protection will be extended to individuals implicated in misconduct should the audit uncover violations.