In an ongoing investigation into questionable contracting practices at Belize’s Ministry of Defense, a new high-profile name has been linked to suspicious payments, deepening public concern over potential corruption and improper influence in government procurement. Leaked internal documents obtained exclusively by News Five connect Cabinet Secretary Stuart Leslie to RSL Group Limited, a vendor that collected more than $85,000 in taxpayer funds from the defense ministry between May and June 2026, with an additional $49,000 payment still pending.
The leaked records reveal the same troubling pattern of fragmented invoicing that has marked other questionable transactions in the scandal: all payments processed were kept just under the $10,000 threshold, a common tactic to avoid heightened oversight requirements. Most notably, seven identical payments of exactly $6,941 were disbursed to RSL Group on a single day, June 4, 2026. When the nature of RSL’s services was called into question, a leaked sales order confirms the company only supplied a range of food seasonings to the Belize Defence Force.
When contacted by News Five, Leslie acknowledged his position as a director of RSL Group but sought to distance himself from the firm’s dealings with the defense ministry. He claimed he plays no role in the company’s daily operations, and denied ever contacting Ministry of Defense officials to secure the contract. Leslie insisted the company participated in a formal, legitimate bidding process that initially rejected RSL’s bid, and claimed it was the defense ministry that reached out to reverse that decision and request the company’s services. He added that RSL is a fully legitimate business owned by a family he has close personal ties to.
Leslie is far from the only senior government figure tied to the expanding scandal. A growing roster of current and former officials, including multiple cabinet members, have denied any improper involvement in awarding defense ministry contracts to companies connected to their family members, close associates, or political constituents.
Prime Minister John Briceño, when questioned earlier this month about ties between other politically connected individuals and the questioned contracts, claimed he had no knowledge of any improper activity. “Just like how I did not know what the Mira family was getting and what Florencio and all of them were doing, I do not know,” Briceño stated in a phone interview on July 9.
The scandal’s central figure, former acting Defense Minister Florencio Marin Jr., has been placed on administrative leave pending the outcome of a full government audit. Days before stepping back from his post, Marin called for patience, saying, “I am prepared to speak but please let’s have the audit finished first. Right now it is ongoing.”
Other high-ranking officials have echoed the uniform denial of wrongdoing. Former Defense Minister Oscar Mira, whose siblings received multiple defense ministry supply contracts, has denied any role in securing those awards: “I am confident that I did not involve anything from me. I did not, I was not the one you know.” Minister of State Ramon “Monchi” Cervantes similarly rejected any claims that his familial ties to the owners of J&J Imports helped the company secure defense contracts, telling reporters, “No, not at all, I had nothing to do with it.” Even Ministry of Defense CEO Francis Usher, whose wife’s cousin owns contracting firm Meat Master, insisted all processes were above board. “They went through the evaluation process like everyone else,” Usher said, noting the independent evaluation committee can confirm his lack of improper influence.
While all officials named have denied wrongdoing, the leaked Smart Stream documents reveal a geographic pattern that has intensified calls for a full independent investigation. Eight of the companies and individuals named in the leaked records are based in northern Belize, with six registered in Orange Walk Town – the same municipality that makes up Prime Minister Briceño’s electoral constituency. RSL Group, the entity tied to Leslie, is among the Orange Walk-based firms, along with Javier Briceno and Addy Ku, Meat Master, J&J Imports, and Enrique Javier Requena. Two additional vendors linked to the scandal are based in Corozal Northeast, the electoral constituency held by Florencio Marin Jr. The concentration of awarded contracts in politically aligned northern constituencies has left observers questioning whether procurement decisions were driven by political connections rather than open competition and public interest. As the audit of defense spending continues, public pressure mounts for full transparency to answer lingering questions about who benefited from the controversial spending.