Carib Scope

作者： admin

  • Nurmohamed stelt tijdens hoorzitting dat procedures correct zijn gevolgd

    Nurmohamed stelt tijdens hoorzitting dat procedures correct zijn gevolgd

    A closed-door parliamentary hearing for former Surinamese Public Works Minister Riad Nurmohamed concluded this Friday, with the ex-official pushing back against prosecution demands over alleged irregularities in a low-income housing development project. Appearing alongside his lawyer Benito Pick before the special parliamentary committee tasked with reviewing cases against current and former political office holders, Nurmohamed has repeatedly asserted that every step of the Pan American Real Estate housing initiative followed all legally required procedures.

    The hearing was convened to examine a request from the Surinamese prosecutor general, who has formally asked to put Nurmohamed on trial over claims of procedural misconduct tied to the affordable housing project. In his testimony before the committee, the former minister detailed that all standard oversight bodies and regulatory mechanisms were involved throughout the project’s planning and implementation phases. He confirmed that his own ministry maintained the required system of checks and balances, and that all relevant government institutions including the Ministry of Finance, the Vice President’s Cabinet, and the President’s Cabinet were kept fully informed of every procedural step taken.

    Nurmoahmed also told the committee he is surprised by the prosecutor general’s request to indict him, noting he has already provided voluntary testimony to the Public Prosecution Service at least five times in previous investigations, none of which listed him as an official suspect. He further dismissed the prosecution’s claim that he collaborated with unknown unregulated actors in the project, emphasizing that all activities were carried out through official channels and approved by relevant government bodies.

    Committee chair Rabin Parmessar, when reached for comment by local outlet Starnieuws, confirmed that the hearing proceeded in an orderly manner. He explained that the committee intentionally avoided wading into substantive debates over the former minister’s guilt or innocence, noting that the body’s role is not to act as a court but only to evaluate the merits of the prosecutor general’s request. Due to the closed nature of the proceeding, Parmessar declined to share further detailed information on the content of testimony.

    Once all related hearings are completed, the special committee will draft a formal advisory opinion for the internal meeting of the National Assembly. After the review process concludes, the National Assembly will hold a public vote to decide whether to approve the prosecutor general’s request and open the way for formal criminal prosecution of Nurmohamed.

  • Up to 200% Higher; What’s Driving Belize’s Light Bill Surge?

    Up to 200% Higher; What’s Driving Belize’s Light Bill Surge?

    As summer heat settles over Belize, households across the nation are facing a crippling financial shock that has sent waves of frustration through local communities: skyrocketing electricity bills that have jumped as much as 200% in just one month, piling extra pressure on families already stretched thin by rising fuel costs and a soaring cost of living.

    In late May 2026, hundreds of Belizeans took to social media to voice their outrage over the sudden, unexpected surge in monthly energy charges, with many reporting increases of $30 to $50 above their typical bills, and others facing spikes that doubled or even tripled their previous monthly costs. Local outlet News Five sent reporter Britney Gordon to the streets of Belize City to speak directly to affected consumers and unpack the root causes of the unprecedented hike.

    The first official rate adjustment came in January 2026, when Belize Electricity Limited (BEL), the country’s main power provider, raised baseline rates to $0.4427 per kilowatt-hour. That adjustment was approved to cover $108 million in accumulated past and projected energy supply costs for the firm. Four months after that increase, BEL has submitted a new regulatory request to lock current average rates in place through July 2028, while also seeking approval to add a surcharge of up to $0.0152 per kilowatt-hour to offset unexpected short-term cost fluctuations. That proposed surcharge has not yet been approved and has not gone into effect.

    Many consumers we spoke to linked their higher bills to the recent rollout of BEL’s new smart metering system, saying costs began climbing immediately after their old meters were replaced. One Belize City resident told Gordon she has seen a $30 jump in her monthly bill directly after her traditional meter was swapped for a smart model. Another customer, who is out of her home from 5:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. Monday through Saturday and has not changed her energy usage habits at all, reported seeing her monthly bill surge from $62 to $237 in a single billing cycle – a jump of nearly 280% that left her stunned.

    For households that rely on air conditioning to cope with Belize’s hot season, the impact has been even more severe. One customer shared that his bill hit more than $300 when he ran his AC regularly, forcing him to stop using the unit entirely and switch to fans to cut costs, bringing his bill down to just $85. Another resident noted that while his own bill has not spiked dramatically, air conditioning is not a luxury for most Belizeans during the hot season – it is a necessity, making the price hikes all the more unfair.

    When reached for comment on consumer complaints, BEL issued a brief statement denying any changes to billing calculation outside of the January 2026 base rate increase. “We would like to clarify that no new system has been implemented for the calculation of bills, outside of the rate increase that came into effect in January…. We understand the concerns being raised and will address them further in our formal response,” the company said. The utility has yet to release a full explanation for the extreme bill spikes reported by hundreds of customers. A previously proposed time-of-use pricing system, which would have charged higher rates during peak energy consumption hours, was never approved by regulators and was never rolled out to customers.

    The sudden surge in energy costs comes at a time when Belizean households are already grappling with broad-based inflation, driven in large part by climbing global and domestic fuel prices. Many residents say they are at a loss to see how working- and middle-class families can absorb the new cost burden. “How can the Belizean people live survive in an economy such as this? We won’t make it,” one Belize City customer told Gordon.

  • Days of Fire, Growing Damage; Baldy Beacon Under Threat

    Days of Fire, Growing Damage; Baldy Beacon Under Threat

    Nearly a week after an out-of-control wildfire ignited in one of Belize’s most treasured protected ecosystems, public outrage is growing over lapses in security protocols and the rapidly expanding damage to ecologically critical land. As of May 22, 2026, the blaze, which has already scorched hundreds of acres of forest at Baldy Beacon in the Mountain Pine Ridge Reserve, remains active, though officials report it has not yet crossed Roaring Creek, with cooler overnight temperatures expected to help contain the flames this evening.

    The fire, which has already left irreversible scars on the iconic Bald Hills landscape, was started accidentally by military training exercises involving explosives, a fact Belize’s Ministry of Defense has now officially acknowledged – a shift from its previous refusal to accept blame for similar blazes in the region. The conflict over responsibility has pitted former government minister and local landowner Elvin Penner against defense officials, after Penner stepped forward to sound the alarm over what he calls reckless mismanagement that allowed the fire to spread unchecked.

    Penner, a controversial figure who has returned to the public spotlight to push for accountability, told reporters that the Ministry of Defense failed to implement basic safety measures ahead of the explosive training that sparked the fire. Ministry CEO Francis Usher defended the department’s actions, stating that the training area is a designated military zone with strict security protocols to restrict civilian access and prevent unnecessary risk. Usher added that the military has deployed substantial resources to contain the blaze and avoid further destruction of private and public property, noting that while the department accepts accountability, some factors surrounding the fire’s spread were outside of its control.

    But a firsthand on-site inspection by News Five reporter Shane Williams directly contradicted the Ministry’s claims of proper safety barriers. Williams was able to drive within a few hundred yards of the detonation site without encountering any secured blockades; the only obstruction to entry was a fallen tree trunk along the road, and the only warning marker was a small, unnoticeable red rag tied to a tree. The only public notice posted at the entrance to the access road restricts entry solely to logging operations and unauthorized military vehicles, with no mention of active training or fire risk.

    Penner, who owns 10 acres of scorched land in the affected area, said that he has spent a decade cultivating pine trees on his property and intends to file a damage claim against the government. He added that during past joint military training exercises with British forces, the area was always properly barricaded, marked with clear warning signs, and patrolled by personnel to keep civilians out. When the military withdrew from the area years ago, much of the land was transferred to private owners, but the Ministry of Defense returned to resume training without updating its safety protocols to account for the new private land holdings.

    Conservation groups, including Friends for Development, which maintains a former British military base in the area for conservation work, are now leading efforts to protect the remaining intact forest. Ecologists and local residents warn that the fire carries far-reaching risks beyond the immediate reserve damage: Baldy Beacon Valley feeds directly into the Macal River, which connects to the Belize River – the main source of drinking and irrigation water for more than half of Belize’s population. Ash, sediment, and toxins from the burned vegetation could contaminate the watershed for months to come if the fire is not fully contained quickly.

    As cooler weather is forecast to aid containment efforts, the core debate over accountability for the damage and future regulation of military training in protected ecological zones remains unresolved.

  • ‘Misleading and Political’: Elvin Penner Rejects Land Grab Narrative

    ‘Misleading and Political’: Elvin Penner Rejects Land Grab Narrative

    A political firestorm has erupted in Belize around long-simmering accusations against former government minister Elvin Penner, who is now pushing back forcefully against claims that he improperly fast-tracked land titles for multiple parcels located inside a Belize Defence Force (BDF) training zone in the lead-up to the 2020 general election. The allegations, first leveled by Defense Chief Executive Officer Francis Usher, frame the land acquisition as a hasty, last-minute power grab carried out during the COVID-19-disrupted election cycle. But Penner has rejected every element of the narrative, calling the claims misleading, factually inaccurate, and motivated entirely by partisan political opportunism.

    In a detailed on-camera rebuttal of the accusations, Penner laid out a timeline that directly contradicts claims of rushed approval. He emphasized that the full process from initial application to final title transfer stretched across half a decade, rather than the accelerated months-long timeline alleged by his critics. A core point of contention in Penner’s defense is the location of the disputed parcels: he clarifies that the military training zone was formally established around existing privately held land, not that he acquired land already designated for military use. In his view, the narrative that he encroached on defense property has been intentionally inverted for political gain.

    Penner also pushed back against claims that he seized hundreds of acres of prime government land, dramatically downplaying the total size of the disputed holdings. The parcels at the center of the controversy add up to just 35 acres total, he explained, a plot that was originally registered entirely in his name before he subdivided it into seven smaller parcels for family members. He confirmed that he does own a much larger adjacent holding of roughly 1,000 acres, but stressed that this property was privately purchased through fully legal channels and has been held as private land for decades, with no connection to the government allocation at the heart of the allegations.

    The former minister also addressed insinuations that he received special preferential treatment from the then-ruling United Democratic Party (UDP) government to secure the land. Penner, who is a member of the UDP, countered that the 12-year timeline to complete the subdivision and approval process is itself proof that no favors were extended. “Am I not entitled to a little piece of Belize where nobody else wanted it – with some other family members through the proper process?” he asked in his remarks, arguing that he followed every regulatory requirement. He noted that the land went through official survey, inspection, and review steps, with approval from the sitting minister at the time, resulting in a five-year wait just to secure an initial lease for the property.

    This report is adapted from a verbatim transcript of a televised evening news broadcast from Belize, originally published online on May 22, 2026.

  • Double Murder, Double Guilty: Court Rejects Miguelito’s Story

    Double Murder, Double Guilty: Court Rejects Miguelito’s Story

    More than three years after two fatal shootings shook the quiet community of Ladyville, a high court has delivered a guilty verdict in a case that gripped local attention, closing a key chapter in one of the area’s most high-profile homicide investigations. On Friday, May 22, 2026, Justice Candace Nanton found 49-year-old Miguelito Encalada guilty on two counts of murder for the deaths of his wife Desiree Gonzalez and his brother George Rochester, who were gunned down in public during daylight hours back in April 2023.

    From the earliest stages of the investigation, Encalada maintained a consistent claim of innocence: he told responding officers that armed intruders had stormed his local business, opened fire on his family members, and unexpectedly left him alive to tell the story. For years, that narrative formed the backbone of his defense, but prosecutors spent months building a case that dismantled that account entirely.

    The turning point in the trial came from forensic evidence that directly linked the fatal bullets to Encalada’s own legally licensed firearm. After weeks of witness testimony and expert analysis of ballistic records, Justice Nanton ruled that the state had proven its case beyond a reasonable doubt, throwing out Encalada’s version of events entirely. Just minutes after wrapping up her review of the evidence, she delivered the two guilty verdicts to a packed courtroom.

    Relatives of both Gonzalez and Rochester filled the public gallery for the highly anticipated verdict. Multiple onlookers reported that family members reacted with quiet emotion as the ruling was read out, with some wiping away tears after months of waiting for a resolution. The case is now set to move to the sentencing phase, scheduled for July 2026. Justice Nanton has ordered multiple pre-sentencing reports to be compiled, as the court weighs whether to pursue capital punishment for the convictions, which carries the highest possible penalty under Belizean law.

    Local legal observers note that the case has drawn widespread community attention because of the familial connections between the defendant and the victims, as well as the shocking nature of the public shootings that happened in broad daylight. The conviction brings a measure of closure for the families, though the final sentence will not be decided for another two months.

  • Escape in Black SUV Ends in Arrests, Murder Case Cracked

    Escape in Black SUV Ends in Arrests, Murder Case Cracked

    In the peaceful small community of Unitedville, located in Belize’s Cayo District, a brazen fatal shooting that left local resident Allen Gongora dead last month has been cracked by law enforcement just days after the attack, with two people — including a 15-year-old minor — already facing formal murder charges.

    The incident unfolded on the evening of May 19, 2026, when 43-year-old Gongora was gunned down inside his own home. The violent attack sent shockwaves through the normally quiet neighborhood, with local residents immediately reporting hearing multiple gunshots ring out before witnesses observed a male suspect fleeing the property. According to initial investigative accounts, the suspect escaped the scene in a black SUV, fleeing at high speed toward the nearby city of Belmopan.

    In a formal statement confirming the major breakthrough in the case, Assistant Superintendent of Police Stacy Smith, a staff officer with the department, announced that both the 15-year-old male minor and 27-year-old Jevon Ramclam — both residents of Belize City — have been taken into custody and officially charged with murder. Early in the investigation, Smith confirmed that law enforcement believes the killing is tied to illegal drug activity.

    The investigation remains ongoing, with authorities expecting more arrests to come as they continue to untangle the full scope of the conspiracy behind the shooting. Investigators are still processing evidence connected to the firearms recovered in the case, which have been sent to the National Forensic and Science Services Laboratory for ballistic and forensic testing. Smith noted that standard evidence processing protocols are being followed to build a solid case against all parties involved, and law enforcement continues to collect new witness testimony and supporting information to advance the inquiry.

    This case marks another high-profile homicide investigation in the Cayo District, with the quick arrests offering a early resolution for a community that has been on edge since the deadly attack.

  • Twelve Years for a Killing; Why Baizar’s Family Says It’s Not Enough

    Twelve Years for a Killing; Why Baizar’s Family Says It’s Not Enough

    On a scheduled military rotation at a remote Belizean outpost in 2025, serving Belize Defense Force (BDF) officer Clive Baizar was shot and killed by a fellow service member. More than a year after the killing, a court’s final sentencing has reignited grief and frustration among Baizar’s surviving relatives, who say the punishment handed down falls far short of the justice they have long awaited.

    Last week, in exclusive interviews with local media, members of Baizar’s family shared their profound disappointment with the case’s outcome. The family had entered the trial process holding out for a murder conviction, a charge they believed matched the gravity of Baizar’s death while he was on active duty. Instead, the accused shooter was found guilty of the lesser offense of manslaughter and sentenced to just 12 years in prison.

    To unpack the procedural steps that led to this outcome, reporters spoke with Francis Usher, Chief Executive Officer of Belize’s Ministry of National Defense. Usher, who was an active BDF member when the shooting occurred, emphasized that both the defense force and the national ministry fulfilled their legal obligations fully by turning over every piece of available evidence to the Director of Public Prosecutions, the independent body with final authority over how the case was prosecuted.

    Reflecting on the 2025 incident, Usher described the killing as a devastating blow to the entire BDF community. “It hit all of us extremely hard, not only because he was a serving member of the force, but also because he was a serving member of the force on duty,” Usher said. “There was various factors but it was ultimately caused by another member of the force and that rocked all of us. But as an organization, as the BDF, as the ministry, our duty at that point was to ensure that all the relevant documents, evidence, reports, were compiled, not tampered with and was submitted for justice to take its course based on the events that occurred and those that were there, the evidence on hand. So we handed all of those over. How does it strike me? It was difficult at the time and every time I think about it, it is still difficult.”

    In the wake of the fatal shooting, BDF leadership implemented a key policy update: revising regulations governing alcohol possession and consumption on all military bases across the country, a change designed to prevent similar violent incidents in the future. But for Baizar’s loved ones, even institutional reforms cannot ease the discontent they feel over the sentencing result. The family’s dissatisfaction draws added context from ongoing conversations about violent misconduct among Belizean security forces: a separate trending investigation is currently examining a pattern of domestic violence involving another active police officer, raising broader questions about accountability for uniformed personnel.

    This report is adapted from a transcribed broadcast of a local evening news program, with all quoted statements preserved in their original context.

  • Teen Among Two Nabbed in Caye Caulker Drug Bust

    Teen Among Two Nabbed in Caye Caulker Drug Bust

    In a series of coordinated law enforcement actions across Belize in late May 2026, authorities have taken large quantities of illegal narcotics and unregistered firearms off the streets, arresting five suspects including one teenager.

    The first bust unfolded on the popular island community of Caye Caulker, where a routine police patrol turned into a major drug trafficking raid targeting a local residential property. During the search of the home, officers uncovered 19 zip-lock plastic bags holding a total of 16.1 grams of suspected cocaine, alongside four bags of cannabis weighing 21.3 grams. A subsequent search of 22-year-old local resident Idan Pineda, one of the two suspects taken into custody, yielded an additional four zip-lock bags containing 2.45 grams more suspected cocaine.

    Alongside Pineda, officers arrested a 15-year-old minor from the same village. Both suspects face joint charges of possession of controlled substances with intent to supply – the formal charge for drug trafficking – as well as simple possession of controlled drugs. Pineda faces an additional trafficking charge connected to the narcotics found on his person. The inclusion of such a young suspect has sparked renewed public concern about the penetration of drug activity into youth populations on Belize’s island communities.

    Across the mainland in Belize City, which remains under a public State of Emergency due to surging gang-related violence and gun crime, two separate Special Patrol Unit operations led to the seizure of two illegal nine-millimeter pistols and the arrest of two local men. Thirty-one-year-old Kendale Carcamo of Ebony Street was arrested after a loaded black Beretta pistol holding 14 live rounds fell from his waist during a routine search of his residence. Officers also found 0.8 grams of suspected cocaine on Carcamo, leading to additional drug possession charges alongside counts of unlicensed firearm and ammunition possession.

    Twenty-five-year-old Jermaine Anderson from the Conch Shell Bay area was arrested separately after officers uncovered an unregistered black Austrian-made nine-millimeter pistol at his home. He has been charged with illegal firearm possession. The seizures mark the latest progress in the Belize Police Department’s ongoing city-wide crackdown on illegal gun crime, launched to curb rising gang-related violence that prompted the declaration of a State of Emergency.

    The third major operation took place in Belmopan, the nation’s capital, carried out by the specialized Gang Intelligence Investigation and Interdiction Unit (GI3) on May 20, 2026. The raid on a Belmopan residence led to the seizure of 585 grams of suspected crack cocaine, contained in three separate plastic bags. Three suspects – 23-year-old Ayana Samuel, 19-year-old Taysha Young, and 20-year-old Akeem Myvette – were arrested and jointly charged with drug trafficking. Police have confirmed that targeted enforcement operations will continue across the capital in the coming weeks to disrupt drug distribution networks.

    This report is compiled from a transcribed evening television newscast covering the latest round of anti-crime actions across the country.

  • Sixty-One Percent Young; So Why Is Power So Old?

    Sixty-One Percent Young; So Why Is Power So Old?

    Dated May 22, 2026, a deep generational mismatch has emerged as one of the most pressing tensions in Belize’s political ecosystem, pitting a majority-youth population against an overwhelmingly aging ruling class. Today, 61% of all Belizeans are under the age of 35 — a demographic majority that holds barely any reflection in the nation’s top governing bodies. Across the country’s 31 electoral districts, only one sitting area representative is younger than 35, and the appointed Senate offers no greater space for young voices. As the average age of national leadership continues to climb, public pressure to address this stark disconnect is growing louder.

    For decades, electoral politics in Belize has been framed as an arena reserved for seasoned, well-established political names. Parties have repeatedly leaned on incumbent, long-serving candidates rather than opening pathways for fresh, young contenders to compete, leaving millions of young Belizeans sidelined from formal decision-making. Faint signs of shift are beginning to appear at the municipal level, however, as parties prepare for the 2027 local elections and new young candidates are stepping forward to claim their place on the ballot.

    Among the emerging young contenders are two United Democratic Party (UDP) hopefuls vying for Belize City municipal seats: 30-year-old Melvin Sutherland, who also leads the UDP’s national youth wing, and 33-year-old Kerwick Samuels. Sutherland, who developed an early passion for political affairs growing up following veteran party leader Dean Barrow, pushes back against the common criticism that young people are unfit for office. He calls out the contradictions in current policy, noting, “You cannot raise minimum wage with one hand while taking back the same money at our gas station, the light bill, grocery store, NHI, social security.”

    Samuels echoes that frustration, arguing that young Belizeans already demonstrate clear capacity to lead across every sector of society. “Go to the high schools, the primary schools, the sixth forms, the universities, and you engage with these young people and see what they are doing and come and tell me that they don’t have the potential to serve at a different capacity,” he says, pointing to the widespread energy and initiative young Belizeans already bring to community and public life.

    On the governing side, 33-year-old Malcolm Nunez, who already serves as a Belize City councilor for the People’s United Party (PUP) and heads the party’s youth organization, has made expanding youth representation his life mission. He rejects the argument that age inherently disqualifies young people from office, noting that “Everyone has their own perspective of what they believe and your age. Once you are in a position anywhere in life. The maturity develops overtime and you become comfortable in the position you currently hold.”

    When asked whether a new generation of leaders can avoid the corruption and self-serving politics that have plagued long-entrenched political establishments, all three young candidates framed their work around legacy and principle. Nunez, a father, says he wants his own son to grow up in a system where young people have an equal shot at leading: “I have a son, a young son and I want when it is his turn to do whatever he wants in life, he can look back and say my dad was instrumental in making sure young persons have a voice in whatever capacity.” For Sutherland, leadership boils down to unwavering moral conviction: “For me it all comes down to morality, right or wrong, my conviction. That is what I go on.”

    Leaders of both of Belize’s major political parties have recently made public pledges to prioritize youth representation ahead of the 2027 municipal elections. UDP leader Tracy Panton stated that “The youth voice is going to be an integral part of leadership for the UDP moving forward.” PUP Prime Minister John Briceño also endorsed the two young UDP candidates, noting “I know about two young men that are considering running, and I think they are excellent choices for Belize City.”

    That public support comes with a notable contradiction, however: in 2023, when another young contender, Pollard, announced his interest in running for mayor, Briceño publicly advised him to “sit back and think things through” before moving forward, a moment that many young aspirants point to as evidence of the persistent barriers to entry. Tonight, the question remains unanswered: will 2027 mark the beginning of a true shift toward reflective representation in Belize, or will the nation’s youth majority continue to wait on the sidelines for their chance to lead? Reporting for News Five, Paul Lopez contributed to this investigation.

  • Action plan of the Ministry of Culture until September 30, 2026

    Action plan of the Ministry of Culture until September 30, 2026

    On May 23, 2026, Haiti’s Minister of Culture Emmanuel Ménard officially released a comprehensive action plan for his ministry, outlining key priorities and initiatives to be completed by the end of the current fiscal year on September 30, 2026. The roadmap was developed in alignment with the country’s core national priorities and Prime Minister Fils-Aimé’s pledge to strengthen cross-sector governance and upgrade public service delivery across Haiti.