In a groundbreaking investigative report by local Belizean outlet News Five, newly leaked procurement documents have sparked fresh scrutiny of government contracting practices at the Ministry of National Defense, focusing on payouts to a family-connected business during former minister Oscar Mira’s tenure.
Mira, a former enlisted soldier with the Belize Defense Force, made political history in March 2025 when he was sworn in as the substantive Minister of National Defense just days after that year’s general election. Promising to uphold Belize’s constitution and serve all citizens without favoritism during his oath of office, Mira stepped into the role after serving as a Minister of State within the same ministry, and held the top post until a cabinet reshuffle moved him to the Ministry of Home Affairs in late November 2025.
But newly obtained Smart Stream payment invoices tell a troubling story about the flow of public funds during and after Mira’s leadership. Leaked records reviewed by News Five show that MP Farms, a fruit and vegetable supplier with direct ties to the Mira family, has secured more than $5.7 million in defense ministry contracts for food and rationing supplies between 2024 and June 2026. What has raised the most alarms is the dramatic surge in payments during 2025, the year Mira led the ministry: 74% of the firm’s total three-year earnings, equal to more than $4.27 million, was disbursed to MP Farms in that 12-month period. Even after Mira left the defense portfolio in late 2025, payments continued, with one disbursement processed as recently as February 2, 2026 – just three days after Mira denied any impropriety in public comments.
Questions about irregularities in the defense ministry’s procurement process first emerged in early 2024, when Public Service Minister Henry Charles Usher acknowledged cabinet had discussed ensuring proper resourcing for the Belize Defense Force’s food and rationing programs, but stated no formal corruption allegations had been filed and the government would continue monitoring the process. The issue resurfaced in January 2026, when a reporter asked Mira directly whether any of his relatives held defense ministry supply contracts.
Mira responded at the time that his family’s business had successfully bid for tenders under the previous government administration, implying no unfair advantage had been secured during his tenure. The newly leaked payment records contradict that framing, however, showing the vast majority of the firm’s earnings from the ministry came during Mira’s time as the top official at the defense department.
The investigation has reignited long-running debates in Belize about the adequacy of anti-conflict of interest safeguards in public procurement, whether existing regulations prevent connected insiders from siphoning public funds, and what steps the current administration will take to audit existing defense ministry contracts and strengthen oversight moving forward. News Five’s full investigation, which first aired as a segment on the outlet’s evening evening broadcast, is available to view in full on the organization’s digital platform.