As political tensions boil over in Belize tied to the ongoing Mira Millions controversy, a senior ruling party official has found herself at the center of opposition attack ads, forcefully pushing back against explosive claims of illicit personal enrichment.
Juliet Thimbriel, national campaign manager for the United Democratic Party (UDP), recently made her return to the party’s top-rated morning radio program *Fus Ting Da Mawnin* following a lengthy hiatus from public broadcast. Her comeback coincides with a deeply charged political climate, as the fallout from the high-profile Mira Millions scandal continues to roil the nation’s political landscape and deepen partisan divisions.
In recently circulated political attack ads, opponents have leveled serious accusations against Thimbriel: they claim she improperly siphoned public funds during the previous UDP administration to amass personal wealth, and that she currently owns as many as 20 residential properties accumulated through corrupt practices. In a direct on-the-record interview responding to these claims, Thimbriel categorically rejected every element of the allegation, shifting blame back to the incumbent People’s United Party (PUP) government.
Thimbriel explained her return to public political messaging by saying she felt compelled to speak out because she believes the current administration has exploited the Belizean public. “I came back because I realized the Belizean people were being taken advantage of and we proved our point. We have produced black and white [documentation], thousands [of pages] and we have thousands more to go. We have more ministries to deal with and as the weeks come along we will have many more ministries that we will bring out information on that the Belizean people will realize that they have been taken advantage of,” she stated.
When asked how she is navigating the coordinated public campaign against her, Thimbriel downplayed any personal concern, noting that she is not a candidate on an upcoming election ballot and that her role is focused solely on informing voters. “I am not worried about the public campaign against me. I am not a politician on ballot. I am in politics and I am informing the Belizean people. And they can say anything they want against me. It does not matter. If they can’t find a father that takes care of them, I have my father that takes care of me,” she said.
Pressed for a direct denial of the property claims, Thimbriel refuted every incremental suggestion of multiple property ownership. When asked if she categorically denied the 20-home allegation, she responded: “I will be honest with you, I don’t have twenty houses. I don’t have anything close to twenty houses.” When pushed on whether she owned 15 or 10 properties, she again rejected both claims, and went on the record to disclose that she carries a $6,000 monthly mortgage with Belize Bank that she pays personally, inviting any party to conduct independent investigations into her finances.
Shifting the focus of the conversation away from the personal attacks, Thimbriel emphasized that the real issue facing Belize is the incumbent government’s actions. “But I am not the problem, the problem is the prime minister and the People’s United Party that continue to pressure the Belizean people and take advantage of them,” she asserted.
This report is derived from a transcript of a televised evening news broadcast, with all dialogue retained and transcribed accurately for public distribution.