Carib Scope

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  • Economy : The DGI celebrates its 102 years of existence

    Economy : The DGI celebrates its 102 years of existence

    Haiti’s Directorate General of Taxes (DGI), the country’s central tax administration body founded on June 6, 1924 during the presidential administration of Louis Borno, officially celebrated its 102nd anniversary on June 8, 2026. The milestone event centered on the core theme “The DGI is modernizing to serve better”, bringing together senior government leaders, international development partners, and private sector stakeholders to reflect on the agency’s legacy and outline its roadmap for future reform.

    In her keynote address opening the ceremony, Haitian Prime Minister Alix Didier Fils-Aimé reaffirmed the national government’s unwavering commitment to building a business-friendly policy environment that attracts domestic and foreign investment. He emphasized that a streamlined, transparent tax authority is a foundational pillar of this goal, highlighting the irreplaceable strategic role of robust tax collection in powering core state functions, funding public policy initiatives, and advancing national development priorities—from strengthening national security to expanding access to critical public services.

    Prime Minister Fils-Aimé also publicly commended the leadership and frontline staff of the DGI for their consistent efforts to upgrade administrative processes, noting that their work has already delivered tangible improvements for taxpayers and the state alike. He went on to restate the administration’s pledges to advance tax transparency, crack down on systemic corruption, and uphold the rights and dignity of all Haitian taxpayers.

    Serge Gabriel Collin, Haiti’s Minister of Economy and Finance, used the anniversary occasion to reaffirm his department’s full backing for the DGI’s ongoing reform and modernization agenda, which is a core component of broader public administration upgrades across the Haitian government. DGI Director General Chesnel François detailed the specific changes already underway at the agency, outlining ongoing work to accelerate full digital transformation, expand user-friendly remote tax services, and roll out new institutional management frameworks designed to build a more efficient, transparent, and taxpayer-centric tax administration.

    François also outlined key upcoming priorities aligned with the government’s broader economic strategy, including the full deployment of the new Revenue Management System (RMS), the finalization of DGI’s foundational organic law, nationwide public consultations to shape a updated national Tax Code, and the expanded rollout of digital tax declaration and electronic payment systems to reduce administrative friction for filers.

    A key highlight of the anniversary celebration was the recognition of Haiti’s top corporate taxpayers for the 2024-2025 fiscal year. During a formal award ceremony, Prime Minister Fils-Aimé, joined by Minister Collin and Director General François, presented honorary merit plaques to 25 companies honored as “major payers” for their consistent, compliant tax contributions. A full list of the top 100 largest taxpayers in Haiti for the 2024-2025 fiscal year has been made publicly available for download via the HaitiLibre documentation portal.

    Key performance data released during the event confirms that the DGI’s ongoing modernization efforts are already delivering strong fiscal results. Between October 2025 and May 2026, a total of 58 billion Haitian gourdes in tax revenue was collected, representing a nearly 10% increase in collections compared to the same 8-month period in the prior fiscal year.

    Several of Haiti’s key international development partners also participated in the anniversary event, including Expertise France, the European Union, the International Monetary Fund, and the World Bank. All four organizations reaffirmed their ongoing support for the DGI’s modernization efforts, which align with broader international goals to strengthen Haiti’s public financial management and support inclusive economic growth.

  • From Ombudsman Office to Legal Showdown

    From Ombudsman Office to Legal Showdown

    Six months after former Ombudsman Gilbert Swaso’s contract expired in December 2025, one of Belize’s most critical government oversight bodies remains without permanent leadership — a vacancy that has now escalated into a full legal confrontation between the retired major and the ruling Briceño Administration.

    When Swaso’s appointment was confirmed by the House of Representatives in early 2023, Prime Minister John Briceño framed the pick as a bipartisan consensus, telling lawmakers that the nomination carried Cabinet backing and had already secured support from the Senate. Swaso was formally sworn in that February, and quickly positioned the Office of the Ombudsman as a champion for marginalized Belizeans seeking redress against government injustice.

    “We exist for people who suffer injustice, people who are vulnerable, people who essentially are not getting the service that they believe that they deserve,” Swaso said in a 2023 address. “No need to suffer in silence.”

    Swaso’s commitment to transparency ultimately put him on a collision course with the administration. In 2025, prominent social activist Jeremy Enriquez filed a formal complaint with the Ombudsman’s office after the Attorney General’s Ministry refused to fulfill a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request. The request sought details on how much taxpayer funding the government was paying private law firms for representation in the high-stakes, controversial redistricting case.

    Swaso rejected the government’s refusal to disclose the information, publicly recommending that at least a portion of the requested records be released to the public. Shortly after that ruling, the administration announced it would not renew Swaso’s contract when it expired at the end of 2025.

    Enriquez, the activist who filed the original FOIA complaint, said the non-renewal sends a clear chilling message to independent oversight. By standard convention, Belize’s Ombudsman serves a renewable term of up to nine years, making the early end to Swaso’s tenure deeply unusual. “The government has destroyed the credibility of the office, and we are watching very closely to see who will replace him and if there is that level of commitment to the constitution and laws of Belize,” Enriquez noted in comments earlier this year.

    Opposition lawmakers have echoed those concerns. Last week, United Democratic Party Senator Sheena Pitts raised the vacancy in the Senate, pointing out that the Ombudsman is a constitutionally enshrined position designed to deliver critical checks and balances on executive power for all Belizean people. “We are here in June 2026 without having to deal with any great efficiency the appointment of an ombudsman,” Pitts said.

    Now, Swaso is hitting back with legal action, arguing that administration officials violated constitutional protections for the independent Ombudsman role and mishandled the end of his tenure. In comments from earlier this week, Swaso acknowledged his FOIA ruling likely created friction with the government, but stood by his commitment to upholding accountability. “The FOIA, the act in itself is there for accountability and when citizens are denied of their constitutional right and remember also that the government of Belize is working for and on behalf of the people of Belize who placed them in office to govern on our behalf,” he said.

    Swaso also criticized Prime Minister Briceño for comments made in the National Assembly, where Briceño attacked Swaso for supporting a plan to expand the Ombudsman’s mandate to function as a broader national human rights institution. Swaso countered that the expansion aligned with a previous commitment the government itself made to establish a national human rights institute within the Ombudsman’s office.

    As of June 9, 2026, the administration has given no public indication of when it intends to fill the vacant Ombudsman post, leaving the key watchdog institution effectively dormant half a year after Swaso’s departure.

  • What’s the Status of Belize’s Solar Energy Project?

    What’s the Status of Belize’s Solar Energy Project?

    Three years after securing a $77 million development loan from the Saudi Fund for Development, Belize’s ambitious utility-scale solar energy initiative has yet to break ground, prompting a major restructuring of the original project design to enhance long-term energy performance. The funding agreement for the planned 60-megawatt solar facility was first finalized by the Belizean government in August 2023, but as of late May 2026, construction has not commenced, leaving stakeholders waiting for updates on the nation’s renewable energy expansion goals.

    In response to public inquiries about the project’s stalled progress, Minister of Public Utilities Michel Chebat recently confirmed that the original plan, which focused exclusively on solar power generation, is being reworked to integrate a large-scale battery energy storage system, creating a hybrid solar-battery facility. The revised design is expected to adjust generation and storage capacities: what was initially proposed as a 60MW solar-only plant will now shift toward a mixed configuration, with adjustments to solar output allocation paired with 40MW and 20MW battery storage capacity to balance grid supply and demand.

    Chebat emphasized that despite the restructuring and delays, the $77 million Saudi-backed investment remains a top priority for the Belizean government, framed as a critical foundational investment to strengthen the country’s long-term energy security and scale up its domestic renewable energy generation capacity. The shift to a hybrid model is intended to address one of the key limitations of standalone solar power: inconsistent output tied to daylight hours, which creates reliability challenges for national grid operations. By adding battery storage, the project will be able to store excess solar energy generated during peak sunlight hours and discharge it when demand is high or sunlight is unavailable, greatly improving the stability of Belize’s energy supply.

    This overhaul of the project’s design comes as many small island developing states across the Caribbean are re-evaluating their renewable energy roadmaps, increasingly prioritizing hybrid renewable systems over standalone generation to build more resilient, low-carbon energy networks that reduce reliance on costly imported fossil fuels.

  • Belize, Mexico Deliver Humanitarian Aid to Cuba

    Belize, Mexico Deliver Humanitarian Aid to Cuba

    In a coordinated display of regional solidarity, Belize and Mexico have jointly dispatched a large humanitarian aid shipment to Cuba, arriving at the island nation on Sunday last week, as the Caribbean country struggles through one of the deepest economic downturns in recent decades.

    The aid cargo, carried by a joint vessel, contains 1,700 tons of food staples and other critical relief supplies, targeted to reach vulnerable Cuban communities directly amid worsening conditions driven by long-standing U.S. energy sanctions. Ana Luisa Vallejo Barba, Mexico’s ambassador to Belize, reaffirmed Mexico’s unwavering commitment to standing with Cuba through the crisis, framing the current hardship as a clear humanitarian emergency that demands collective cross-border action.

    “From our perspective, this is a humanitarian crisis, and we have always stepped forward to assist in such situations,” Vallejo Barba told reporters, referencing the departure of the aid vessel from Belize last Saturday ahead of its Sunday arrival. She added that Mexico has partnered closely with Belize and other Caribbean nations to streamline the delivery process, cutting red tape to ensure the supplies reach the Cuban people who need them most rather than being held up by bureaucratic hurdles.

    When asked about the risk of pushback from the United States over the joint aid effort, Vallejo Barba emphasized that Mexico’s support for Cuba is a long-standing, principle-driven position that will not change. She noted that Mexico was the only country in the region that openly opposed Cuba’s expulsion from the Summit of the Americas, a stance the nation has maintained consistently for decades.

    Cuba has continued to face crippling economic strain since the tightening of U.S. energy sanctions and a broader trade embargo that has restricted access to fuel, medical imports, and essential goods for years. The ongoing energy blockade has exacerbated existing inflation, food shortages, and infrastructure gaps, pushing the country into what analysts describe as one of the most severe crises it has experienced since the 1990s. This joint delivery from Belize and Mexico marks one of the largest coordinated regional aid shipments to reach Cuba in recent months, highlighting growing regional support for the island amid ongoing international pressure.

  • Mexican Ambassador Invites Belizeans to Chetumal

    Mexican Ambassador Invites Belizeans to Chetumal

    In a recent interview dated June 9, 2026, Ana Luisa Vallejo Barba, Mexico’s Ambassador to Belize, addressed growing public concerns over cross-border cartel-linked violence in the Yucatan Peninsula and called on Belizean travelers to return to the popular border city of Chetumal, emphasizing that the destination remains safe for visitors.

    Widespread questions have emerged in recent months over whether Belize faces rising risks of spillover criminal activity from neighboring Mexico, where cartel violence has disrupted parts of the Yucatan Peninsula. Ambassador Vallejo Barba acknowledged that cross-border organized crime is a shared transnational challenge that requires coordinated action, but stressed that longstanding security partnerships between the two nations remain robust and effective.

    “ It’s a challenge we are facing and it is a transnational problem that we will have to work out together. But right now, the Mexican government has reinforced the security, mainly in the southern part of Mexico, so please come again to Chetumal. It is safe and everybody is waiting for you,” the ambassador stated.

    When asked to elaborate on the depth of security cooperation, Vallejo Barba confirmed that Belize and Mexico currently operate at least three to four dedicated formal mechanisms for real-time intelligence sharing, joint capacity building, and coordinated response to criminal threats. She noted that information exchange between law enforcement agencies on both sides of the border is fast, reliable, and consistently effective, with joint teams working continuously to mitigate security risks.

    Border security remains a top priority for both Central American nations, as officials from both sides continue to frame close collaboration as the core pillar of maintaining a safe and stable shared border. Beyond security, the conversation also turned to growing economic ties between the two countries, with Ambassador Vallejo Barba highlighting untapped trade potential for key Belizean agricultural products in the Mexican market.

    The ambassador reported that Mexican businesses have expressed rising demand for Belizean exports, particularly in the cattle and coconut sectors. Currently, Belize already ships cattle to Mexican buyers, and Vallejo Barba noted that significant room exists to expand this trade relationship, even amid a temporary tariff dispute that is currently under negotiation. “I know that Belize exports cattle to Mexico and they have already the company that were buying every product from Belize. And, I think we have a lot of opportunity in that kind of market. Also, coconut as you mentioned is very important. There are a lot of Mexican companies that are interested in buying products from Belize,” she said.

    To facilitate expanded market access, both sides are currently working to align Belizean product standards with Mexican regulatory requirements, a process that Vallejo Barba says is progressing smoothly. The temporary tariff on Belizean cattle, implemented after a period of duty-free trade, is expected to be resolved through ongoing bilateral discussions in the near future. Officials from both countries remain optimistic that expanded trade will open new, sustainable economic opportunities for Belizean agricultural producers and strengthen bilateral economic ties overall.

  • ‘Pearly’ app aims to improve access to public services, buses

    ‘Pearly’ app aims to improve access to public services, buses

    Barbados has a new locally built digital tool that is set to revolutionize how residents engage with government agencies and access essential public services. Named ‘Pearly’, this unified mobile platform cuts through bureaucratic red tape, creating a single, simplified channel for citizens to submit service requests, track government responses in real time, and access critical information when they need it.

    Developed by Barbadian tech firm TouchStar Group, Pearly officially launched this Tuesday, with company founder and CEO Ramon Drummond walking a gathered audience through the platform’s full suite of features, highlighting how it simplifies interactions with the more than 150 government agencies operating across the island. Beyond core public service reporting functions, the app also integrates real-time public transit data to help commuters plan their daily trips more efficiently.

    Drummond demonstrated the app’s flagship ‘Tell Pearly’ problem-reporting feature using a common real-world example: reporting a dangerous pothole on a local road. In less than 30 seconds, the app automatically pulled the user’s location data, accepted an uploaded photo of the hazard, and routed the complaint directly to the correct government agency responsible for road repairs. This eliminates the common frustration many residents face when they have to guess which government office handles a specific issue, Drummond explained. ‘Citizens should not have to figure out which ministry, department or agency is responsible for a particular issue,’ he said. ‘With Pearly, users simply describe the problem, add their location and upload photos if necessary. The platform automatically sends the report to the correct government department.’

    The app also delivers tangible benefits for daily commuters through its integrated public transportation feature. Drawing on a massive dataset of more than 61,000 traffic mapping points across the island, Pearly provides users with live updates on the exact location of Barbados Transport Board buses, as well as real-time maps showing island-wide traffic congestion. Drummond noted that future updates to the app will add predictive traffic alert functionality, giving commuters advance warning of delays so they can adjust their travel routes accordingly.

    One of the platform’s most critical innovations is its specialized emergency mode, designed to support disaster response during severe weather events like hurricanes, which pose regular risks to Caribbean island nations. When activated, emergency mode simplifies the app’s interface to enable fast, low-bandwidth reporting even when internet connectivity is unstable or intermittent. All user reports are saved locally on the user’s device and automatically sent to authorities once a network connection is restored. For government emergency management teams, Pearly also includes a centralized ‘war room’ dashboard that displays an interactive map tracking active incidents, flood-prone areas, and the locations of vulnerable community members, enabling faster, more data-driven emergency response decisions.

    Beyond reporting, Pearly acts as a centralized verified information hub for all public services through its ‘Ask Pearly’ function. Instead of waiting on hold for hours to reach a government office to ask a simple question, residents can submit their query directly through the app, which returns pre-verified answers covering everything from government department operating hours to what documentation is required for specific services, with direct links to complete transactions online.

    Built by an all-Barbadian team of software engineers, the platform was developed with user security and privacy as top priorities. Nakira, the platform’s lead software engineer and data compliance officer, confirmed that Pearly uses end-to-end encryption for all user data. ‘When a citizen submits a report, it is only visible to authorised personnel who need to deal with that issue,’ she explained.

    For the Barbadian government, Pearly also serves as a built-in accountability tool for public service delivery. The platform tracks every service request from initial submission through to final resolution. If a responsible government department fails to meet its mandated response deadline, the system automatically escalates the issue to senior leadership, ensuring top officials maintain full visibility into how quickly public services are delivered to residents.

    The app is already live and available for all residents to download and use today, but Drummond emphasized that the development team plans to continue iterating on the platform based on user feedback. He encouraged both residents and public servants to share their input through the app’s built-in feedback tools to help refine the service over time. ‘Pearly is not perfect, and we do not expect it to be,’ he said. ‘We want citizens and public servants to tell us what works and what can be improved so we can continue building a platform that truly serves Barbados.’

  • Sargassum Surge Pushes Belize Toward Crisis

    Sargassum Surge Pushes Belize Toward Crisis

    As calendar pages turn to June 2026, the small Central American nation of Belize is facing an escalating environmental emergency that threatens its most vital economic sector: a massive, unrelenting surge of sargassum seaweed is piling up along its Caribbean coastlines at a rate that far outpaces local cleanup capacity, pushing the country toward its highest Red Phase crisis alert.

    Thick mats of the brown algae are rapidly smothering Belize’s postcard-perfect beaches, destroying critical marine habitats that support coral reefs and local fisheries, and delivering a sharp blow to the tourism industry that anchors the nation’s economy. In the popular tourist hub of San Pedro, municipal crews have already ramped up their response — expanding team sizes, deploying heavier equipment to clear shorelines, and establishing temporary composting sites to store collected seaweed. Even with these stepped-up efforts, however, the influx of sargassum continues to outstrip the municipality’s ability to keep up.

    Local authorities are now working urgently alongside regional conservation partners to identify permanent, safe long-term dumping grounds and develop more sustainable, long-term solutions to the recurring problem. As conditions worsen by the week, public and political pressure is growing to implement a more coordinated, large-scale response to the crisis. Many on the front lines admit that some days, the battle against the endless seaweed surge feels unwinnable.

    Anthony Mahler, Belize’s Minister of Tourism, emphasized that the sargassum crisis is a regional problem that demands a regional, science-backed collective response — a level of coordination that has not yet materialized. Scientists have traced the massive sargassum blooms to nutrient runoff from the Amazon basin, which fuels growth that accumulates in the Sargasso Sea before drifting south to Caribbean coasts. Mahler noted that neighboring Mexico, which currently is absorbing the brunt of a larger sargassum drift, has struggled to contain the blooms even with a far larger national budget and active support from the Mexican Coast Guard. “You can’t operate 24 hours a day in that harsh coastal environment,” Mahler explained. “By the time crews start work the next morning, another full boatload of sargassum has washed ashore.”

    Valentine Rosado, science advisor for the San Pedro Town Council, explained that local teams are using atmospheric and oceanographic data — including wind patterns, weather forecasts, and tide levels — to predict where sargassum accumulations will be heaviest, allowing crews to reallocate resources strategically. Currently, the municipal government focuses its limited resources on a one-mile stretch of shoreline in central San Pedro, while private property owners, resorts, and local businesses are expected to handle cleanup on their own stretches of coast. Rosado pointed out that this fragmented approach is failing: only a small fraction of private property owners invest in regular cleanup, leaving massive accumulations that continue to spread to maintained areas. Many of the private operators that do participate are growing discouraged, reporting damaged equipment, costly cleanup bills, and negative health impacts for their staff from exposure to rotting seaweed.

    To better communicate the severity of the situation and call for outside support, Belize has adopted a color-coded stoplight alert system, which signals when local cleanup crews have reached full capacity and require additional regional or international assistance. Officials stress that what was once a seasonal problem has now become a year-round challenge, requiring steadily growing financial and human resources that the small nation cannot supply on its own.

  • Civil Aviation Defends Drone Regulation Consultation Process

    Civil Aviation Defends Drone Regulation Consultation Process

    A public dispute over proposed new drone regulatory rules in Belize has erupted in recent days, with the nation’s leading industry body for unmanned aerial systems (UAS) accusing the Department of Civil Aviation of cutting corners on stakeholder consultation to rush the policy into effect. The accusations, leveled late last week by the Belize National Unmanned Aerial System Industry Association, center on claims that a public stakeholder workshop held last month to review the 55-page draft regulation was ended prematurely. According to the association, the early close left more than half of the proposed policy text unexamined, and repeated requests to schedule a follow-up reconvened session have already been rejected by regulators.

    The association also raised a second, separate grievance related to transparency: a formal Freedom of Information Act request submitted by the group back in April, which was required by law to receive a response within a 30-day window, has still not been answered as the deadline has long passed.

    Local outlet News 5 reached out to Civil Aviation Director Nigel Carter for comment on the accusations this Monday, and Carter pushed back against claims that the consultation process has been improperly rushed. In his response, Carter clarified that the current phase of public input is not the final step of consultation, and that regulators have always planned a second round of review after initial stakeholder feedback is collected.

    Carter explained that regulators needed to move the process forward from the initial workshop to stay on schedule, even if the full draft was not reviewed line-by-line during the joint session. “We trust that you understand enough from what we’ve already shown you to review the remaining sections on your own and submit your feedback to us, which we will take into full consideration,” Carter said, outlining the department’s current process.

    According to Carter’s timeline, the Department of Civil Aviation expects to finalize an updated draft of the regulations incorporating all submitted stakeholder feedback by June 30. For any provisions that the department decides cannot be altered from the original draft, the agency will publish a formal public explanation of its rationale to help industry stakeholders understand the decision. For changes that are feasible, Carter confirmed that the text will be adjusted to reflect reasonable input.

    Carter emphasized that the core priority guiding the new regulations is fulfilling Belize’s international and domestic obligations for shared airspace management. “We must always keep front and centre that it is a shared airspace. It is a situation whereby drones will be introduced into an airspace that’s already populated by manned aviation,” he noted, highlighting the safety imperatives that make timely regulatory action necessary.

    On the outstanding Freedom of Information Act request, Carter acknowledged the delay but told reporters that the relevant documentation is still being compiled, and the full response will be released to the association within approximately seven to 10 days.

  • Creation of an ad hoc committee responsible for launching the Public University of the West, Haiti

    Creation of an ad hoc committee responsible for launching the Public University of the West, Haiti

    In a formal step to expand public higher education access across western Haiti, the country’s Ministry of National Education has officially ordered the creation of a specialized transitional committee to oversee the launch of the new Public University of the West (Université Publique de l’Ouest, UPO), scheduled for rollout in 2026.

    Announced via a ministerial decision issued on June 10, 2026, the move follows a May 15, 2026 ministerial circular that formally established the UPO by merging three existing regional educational institutions: the Training Center for the Fundamental School (CFEF), the National School of Applied Geology (ENGA), and the National Higher School of Technology (ENST). Education Minister Vijonet Déméro emphasized the urgent need for a temporary governing body to manage the administrative, academic, and logistical groundwork required to stand up the new unified university, leading to the formalization of the ad hoc committee under the oversight of the Ministry of National Education and Vocational Training (MENFP).

    The seven-member committee brings together cross-sector representation from existing institutions, regional stakeholders, and ministerial leadership to ensure balanced input during the transition. Carole Berotte Joseph, a consultant in the Minister’s Office, will serve as committee president, while Michelet Clerveau, a member of the Minister’s Cabinet, will act as committee secretary. The directors of the three merging institutions will each lead academic portfolio for their respective fields: Ronald Jacques Jean of CFEF will oversee education academic affairs, Michael Saimbertil of ENGA will lead on earth sciences academic affairs, and Dieudonné Delva of ENST will handle academic affairs for technology and technical sectors. Two regional educator representatives round out the committee: Yvener Desrosiers for the Palmes Region and Edmy Victor for the Island of Gonâve. The committee is also authorized to recruit additional technical experts as needed to fulfill its mandate.

    The committee carries a clear set of core responsibilities spanning four key workstreams to prepare the UPO for full operation. On the administrative side, members will conduct a full audit of all physical assets, equipment, and human resources from the three merging institutions, then draft a set of transitional internal bylaws to govern the new university during its early phase. Academically, the task force will harmonize overlapping curricula from the predecessor institutions and validate teaching frameworks for two new planned Higher and Technical Education Centers (CEST) located on the Island of Gonâve and in the Palmes Region. Financially, the committee will develop a detailed projected budget for the university’s first full fiscal year, covering both initial setup and ongoing operating costs. Logistically, members will assess and map existing physical infrastructure to accommodate the UPO’s new regional campuses.

    The committee’s mandate is scheduled to run for four months, from June 5, 2026, through October 5, 2026, with a one-time extension permitted if the transition requires additional time. The mandate will automatically terminate once the UPO’s permanent Board of Directors and rectorate are officially appointed and installed. To ensure transparency and accountability to the ministry, the committee is required to submit monthly progress reports to the Minister’s Office, followed by a full comprehensive final report at the conclusion of its work. The ministerial decision went into effect immediately upon its publication.

    The creation of the UPO marks a key investment in expanding accessible public higher education across western Haiti, integrating existing regional training institutions into a unified public university structure that will serve both the Palmes Region and the Island of Gonâve.

  • Sports Director Investigating Chilling Abuse Video

    Sports Director Investigating Chilling Abuse Video

    A six-second viral video filmed in Dangriga has thrown Belize’s National Sports Council into the public spotlight, triggering an official investigation into an alleged altercation between a sports facility caretaker and a teenage basketball player. As of reporting, the explosive clip has already accumulated nearly 150,000 views, growing public pressure on the governing body to deliver a transparent, thorough probe.

    The incident unfolded at the Russell “Chiste” Garcia Auditorium, a venue that the National Sports Council has openly acknowledged has long struggled with management challenges, particularly around consistent access control. According to Brian Swazo, the caretaker at the center of the confrontation, the conflict began when the teenage player crashed an ongoing volleyball practice and refused to vacate the court when asked. Swazo claims the situation escalated when the teen threw a basketball that struck him. He further alleges that after the confrontation with the player, the teen’s father — an active police officer — punched him, and he was subsequently taken into police custody.

    National Sports Council Director Jason Menzies emphasized that the organization is treating the allegations with the utmost seriousness, launching a full investigation to determine whether Swazo violated the council’s binding non-confrontation policy. Menzies noted that his initial reaction to the video was one of genuine concern, and that the council has avoided rushing to premature judgment while gathering facts from all involved parties.

    “We’ve reached out to our administrative officer in charge of that facility and asked her to provide internal reports based on the account she received from Swazo, and we have also required Swazo to file an official police report regarding his claim that he was assaulted by the player’s family,” Menzies explained in an interview. For members of the public who have already formed firm opinions after seeing only the short viral clip, Menzies urged patience and balanced scrutiny: “I would say apply the same level of scrutiny to all concerns, to both sides.”

    Swazo remains in police custody as the investigation progresses, and mounting public pressure has called for his immediate termination from his position. The National Sports Council however has stood by its commitment to complete a full, impartial investigation into all aspects of the incident before announcing any disciplinary or administrative actions. The venue’s long-standing access control issues have also renewed discussion about oversight and management of public sports facilities across the Belize District.