In a dramatic escalation of political pressure in Belize on August 19, 2026, Union Senator Glenfield Dennison has publicly demanded the immediate resignation of Cabinet Secretary Stuart Leslie, over allegations that Leslie holds a hidden financial stake in RSL Group Limited. The demand comes as trade unions warn that the high-profile public controversy surrounding the BTL-Speednet infrastructure deal has drawn attention away from an unresolved procurement scandal at the nation’s Ministry of Defense, urging Belizean citizens not to let the growing questions about government contracting go unaddressed.
Speaking in a public address that drew sharp attention across the country, Dennison laid out his criticism directly to Leslie, highlighting the high public trust placed in the role of Cabinet Secretary. As the nation’s top-ranked civil service position, the role of Cabinet Secretary — formerly known as permanent secretary of permanent secretaries — has long been framed as the apex of public service, reserved for the most qualified and trusted public servants in the government, according to Dennison.
Using colloquial Belizean Kriol phrasing to emphasize his point, Dennison noted that the position has always held an expectation that its occupant would never be caught improperly benefiting from public office. “The Cabinet Secretary my brother, what is wrong with you. For those who don’t know, the Cabinet Secretary use to be the permanent secretary of permanent secretary. He was the top of the top, the dan dadda, because he was the brightest of the brightest, the best of the best. He would have never had his hands caught in the cookie jar or the spice jar. Suh RSL, if you have any semblance of integrity brother, resign, just resign, because you don’t belong there brother. You don’t belong there,” Dennison stated, with his comments transcribed directly from a live evening television broadcast consistent with local Kriol spelling conventions.
The unfolding scandal adds to existing political tension in Belize, as officials and activists continue to unpack potential conflicts of interest tied to senior government officials across multiple public departments. Trade union leaders have argued that the ongoing focus on the BTL-Speednet deal has created an unintended distraction, allowing less-reported procurement questions at the Ministry of Defense to remain under-examined, and are pushing for full transparency into all alleged conflicts involving senior government figures.