A brewing political scandal in Belize is intensifying around Police Minister Oscar Mira, this week growing from a single questioned government contract involving Mira’s sister into a broader probe of millions in public funds awarded to firms with close family ties to the minister.
What began as isolated questions about a small vegetable supply contract has now ballooned into widespread calls for transparency, after allegations emerged that multiple relatives of Mira — including brothers, siblings, and in-laws — have secured public works contracts across a wide range of high-value sectors. These include agricultural food supply, national water infrastructure expansion, road construction, residential development, and government-backed social development initiatives. According to Dean Flowers, president of Belize’s Public Service Union, the initial contract that first drew public attention is far from the full scope of the issue.
“When you combine the goods and services that his sister has provided, the services that his brothers provide in the AC sector, the services that his brothers provide in the construction sector, the services that his in-laws provide in the roadwork sector, boy oh boy. Then we want to know why the man [got] them the [permits for the] gated community,” Flowers said in comments to local media. “It is not to say that they’re not entitled to do business but what we’re saying is that it is not transparent. It suggests that it is preferential and it brings into question whether or not they would have gotten these contracts or these procurements in a fair, transparent and legal manner.”
Public records and recent allegations tie Mira-linked companies to more than $9 million in water extension contracts and multiple major projects funded by Belize’s Social Investment Fund (SIF) distributed across the country. However, Belize Water Services (BWS), the national state-owned water utility, has pushed back on claims that it awarded the bulk of these projects, noting that most rural water infrastructure initiatives are managed and procured by other government bodies, not BWS. The utility confirmed only one direct award to a Mira-linked firm: a $1.4 million contract awarded to FAST Construction for works in the San Ignacio area.
The controversy has already sparked legal action, as two companies named in social media claims over the contract deals have launched defamation proceedings against a local independent publisher. FAST Construction and FT Williams & Associates Limited have issued pre-action legal letters to Orson Elrington, operator of the popular local outlet Hot Off The Press, over a June 12 social media post that alleged conflict of interest over BWS contracts awarded to the Mira-linked firms.
Elrington’s post claimed the two companies had been awarded a combined $9.3 million in water infrastructure contracts through improper preferential treatment. Attorneys for the two firms deny the claims, arguing the published statements are “blatant, outrageous, scandalous and highly defamatory.” The legal teams contend the post created a false public impression that the companies benefited from nepotism and engaged in corrupt practice, which the firms strongly deny. The companies also reject the core claim that they hold multiple BWS contracts as outlined in the post.
With Elrington yet to issue a public retraction, and the original post still circulating across social media platforms, the firms argue the ongoing circulation has caused significant and lasting reputational harm. They are demanding an immediate end to further sharing of the post, a full public apology, and 100,000 Belize dollars in compensatory damages. The legal notice gives Elrington just two days to meet the demands, after which the companies say they will file formal defamation proceedings in civil court without further notice.
This report is based on a transcript of an evening local television news broadcast in Belize, with comments from speakers in Belizean Kriol transcribed to standard English spelling for clarity.