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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.

On July 7, 2026, a retired high-ranking former officer of the Belize Defense Force (BDF) has ignited public debate over alleged mismanagement of millions in defense spending, calling out current and former military-turned-leaders at the Ministry of National Defense for failing to deliver promised resources to frontline troops.

Retired Major Lloyd Jones, who has remained closely engaged with BDF affairs since leaving the service, shared his deep frustration in a public Facebook post, pointing out that the ministry’s top leadership — Oscar Mira, Florencio Marin, and Chief Executive Officer Dario Tapia — are all fellow graduates of the prestigious Royal Military Academy Sandhurst, just like himself. Jones argues that this elite military training should have instilled a core commitment to troop welfare and strong accountability, but that commitment is nowhere to be seen in the day-to-day experiences of active service members.

“At Sandhurst, even as young junior officers, we are taught from day one that the safety and well-being of the troops under your command must be your central priority if you expect them to follow you into battle,” Jones explained in his public comments. That core principle, he says, is being ignored in the current management of defense supplies. His criticism centers on two key areas: equipment procurement and troop rations. According to Jones, while official announcements highlight multi-million dollar spending on supplies, those resources never materialize for the soldiers who need them. “If you talk to the troops, they will tell you that the millions of dollars reported in the news never translates to what ends up on their plates,” Jones said. “Somewhere in the system, value is being lost, and it is the ordinary soldier who bears the unfair cost.”

For Jones, the issue extends far beyond missing supplies and mismanaged budgets — it cuts to the heart of military integrity, a value every BDF officer is trained to uphold unconditionally. He emphasizes that integrity must be beyond reproach for military leaders, especially for former service members who have moved into political leadership roles at the ministry. Soldiers, Jones notes, are the first to see when systems fail: they stand guard overnight, handle ration pickups, and witness first-hand when orders for 10 sacks of supplies result in only five being delivered. When leaders fail to uphold integrity, troops lose all respect for their command, he says.

Citing a lesson from his early career under General Garcia, Jones recalled that the general stressed that every soldier watches what leaders do, and leading by example is non-negotiable. “When you hold a leadership position, your every action is observed, and that matters. That is what is missing right now with Marin, Mira, and Tapia, and that is why this is such a serious problem,” Jones said.

Jones is not a political outsider criticizing the ruling party: he is a long-time card-carrying member of the People’s United Party (PUP) and even ran as the party’s candidate for Belize Rural North in past elections. Yet he says his loyalty to the party does not override his commitment to the BDF and its troops. When asked directly if Mira, Marin, and Tapia remain fit to serve in their leadership roles at the Ministry of National Defense, Jones gave an unflinching answer.

“I don’t think so. I don’t think they can recover from this,” Jones said. “Troops have already lost all confidence in them, and allowing them to stay would be a disservice to every man and woman in the BDF who works tirelessly, misses holidays like Christmas and New Year’s, and skips family milestones to guard our 8867-square-kilometer border.” Jones added that, by contrast, rank-and-file police officers have expressed strong approval of current leadership under Minister Julius, an example of how effective leadership inspires the personnel it serves.

Despite his public criticism of PUP figures tied to the defense controversy, Jones reaffirmed that he will remain an active member of the party. He also praised Prime Minister John Briceno for moving quickly to address the allegations, a sign of confidence that the issue will be properly reviewed. This report is a transcript of an evening television broadcast, with all spoken content rendered accurately for online publication.

Verbal hostilities between Belize’s Prime Minister John Briceño and United Democratic Party Leader Tracy Panton, the country’s opposition chief, have spiraled into a full-blown political confrontation centered on explosive allegations of corruption and misuse of public office. The clash was ignited over the weekend during a ruling People’s United Party’s National People’s Congress gathering in the coastal town of Dangriga, where Briceño launched a pointed public attack on Panton’s past ministerial record.

In comments delivered in Belizean Kriol at the meeting, Briceño challenged Panton’s credibility to lead discussions on governmental accountability, arguing that voters have not forgotten her decision to award the national Boledo lottery license to an ally of the previous Barrow administration. “Tracy thinks that people forget how she gave away Boledo to a member for the Barrow government. We have to remind her, who did she give the boledo to. We have to tell her she has no moral authority to talk about corruption, because Tracy has been one of the most corrupt ministers the government have ever seen,” Briceño stated.

The opposition leader has rejected the claims outright and fired back with equally harsh criticism, labeling Briceño’s unsubstantiated remarks as a cowardly, defamatory abuse of executive power. Panton, who boasts a 20-year untainted record of public service dedicated to national development, said the prime minister has crossed a fundamental line of acceptable political conduct by attacking her reputation without a shred of evidence to back his claims.

“It is cowardice coming from the head of state. Let the prime minister present the evidence he has. I have served this country for twenty years in public service unblemished, given my blood sweat and tears to the work of nation building and he will come after me. I hope he knows what ants nest he is stirring,” Panton said. “I say it because it is not acceptable to disparage or seek to defame or seek to malign a member of the National Assembly, the leader of the opposition at that, without any evidence.”

As of July 7, 2026, the dispute has reached a new turning point: Panton has formally threatened to pursue legal action against the prime minister to clear her name and protect her personal and professional reputation, setting the stage for what could become an even more divisive chapter in the country’s pre-election political landscape.

This report is adapted from a transcribed evening television broadcast, with Kriol-language remarks preserved per standardized spelling conventions.