Carib Scope

分类： politics

  • Govt moves to modernise apprenticeship training model

    Govt moves to modernise apprenticeship training model

    Barbados is set to carry out a comprehensive overhaul of its decades-old Occupational Training Act, the core legislation governing the country’s apprenticeship system, by the end of this year as part of a broader push to align technical and vocational education and training (TVET) with evolving modern learning preferences and shifting labour market demands. Labour Minister Colin Jordan first unveiled the planned legislative and structural reforms during a panel discussion at the Barbados Coalition of Service Industries (BCSI) Business Forum, hosted Friday at the University of the West Indies Cave Hill School of Business, before expanding on the details of the initiative in an exclusive interview with local media outlet Barbados TODAY.

    Jordan confirmed that earlier this week, he joined Minister of Training and Tertiary Education Sandra Husbands to present the draft outline of the updated apprenticeship framework for the first time to a tripartite social partnership stakeholder meeting focused on the construction sector. “We just Wednesday presented the outline of a new apprenticeship framework to a social partnership meeting, but it was a construction sector meeting, tripartite. Presented for the first time in that kind of a format,” Jordan noted, adding that the proposal received largely positive feedback from attending stakeholders. “We are pretty advanced. Everybody who was there was happy with the progress we’ve made. They have a couple of tweaks based on the discussion and then [we will] proceed to implement, but that focus or this renewed focus on apprenticeships and recognising that it is really essential for now.”

    The labour minister explained that the current national apprenticeship framework has failed to keep pace with technological, economic and educational changes over recent years, requiring targeted updates to reflect modern workforce realities. Under the collaborative effort between the Ministry of Labour and the Ministry of Technical and Vocational Training, the revised framework will introduce innovative approaches including micro-credentialing and a modular learning structure, moving away from the traditional linear learning model that has dominated apprenticeship programming for decades.

    Jordan emphasized that a core goal of the reform is to elevate the status of technical and vocational training, positioning it as an equally valuable pathway for personal and professional development alongside traditional academic education. Beyond structural changes to learning models, the reform will also require additional resourcing and a revamped regulatory inspection process to ensure consistent quality across programs.

    The redesigned apprenticeship model prioritizes practical, hands-on learning that meets the needs of contemporary learners, with a structured schedule that integrates on-the-job training and classroom instruction. Under the proposed structure, apprentices will spend three to four days per week gaining real-world experience within host organizations, with the remaining one to one and a half days dedicated to formal coursework. By the end of the three-year program, apprentices will not only earn a formal qualification but also build advanced, job-ready practical skills through supervised, structured work experience tailored to modern learning preferences.

    To bring this new model into effect, amendments to the existing Occupational Training Act will be advanced through the legislative process. Jordan confirmed that the Ministry of Labour is leading the reform effort, with operational anchoring through the Ministry of Technical and Vocational Training. The Barbados Vocational Training Board and the TVET Council will retain their key implementation roles, while the Ministry of Labour’s People Development Unit will continue to lead the national overall people development strategy in close collaboration with the TVET-focused ministry.

    Jordan expressed confidence that the full legislative overhaul required for the reform will be completed before the close of the 2024 calendar year, clearing the way for national rollout of the updated apprenticeship system across key economic sectors, starting with construction.

  • Final Preparations Underway Ahead of Booby Alley Redevelopment Opening

    Final Preparations Underway Ahead of Booby Alley Redevelopment Opening

    Antigua and Barbuda’s government is putting the finishing touches on preparations for the official opening of the transformative Booby Alley Redevelopment Project, a large-scale affordable housing and urban regeneration initiative backed by Chinese grant funding. A high-level inter-agency coordination meeting convened this Friday brought key stakeholders together to evaluate the status of remaining construction work and validate the project’s operational readiness ahead of its launch.

    Chaired by Urban Renewal Minister Rawdon Turner, the gathering included representatives from the China Aid Housing Team, private construction contractors, the Antigua Public Utilities Authority (APUA), the Public Works Department, and other relevant government bodies. Turner’s portfolio covers not only the Booby Alley development but also two additional China-aided housing projects located in Bolans and Barbuda, putting him at the center of the country’s current push to expand access to affordable, quality housing.

    During the meeting, each participating agency and stakeholder provided the minister with detailed updates on their outstanding tasks and confirmed projected timelines for completion. Talks extended far beyond wrapping up final construction tasks, with participants diving deep into long-term operational planning for the new residential community. Attendees reviewed core management frameworks for a range of key public services and infrastructure, including on-site parking regulation, ongoing sewage treatment, regular garbage collection, landscape maintenance, public lighting upkeep, road network management, and overall facility maintenance after residents take occupancy of their new homes.

    Following the discussions, Minister Turner directed all agencies and contractors to submit formal, detailed progress reports paired with binding, fixed completion deadlines for all outstanding work. All collected information will be consolidated into a single comprehensive report that will be presented to Antigua and Barbuda’s Cabinet for review next Wednesday.

    In remarks after the meeting, Turner emphasized that successful delivery of the landmark project depends on every stakeholder upholding their commitments and meeting agreed timelines. “Our focus is not simply on cutting a ribbon to open the development,” he noted. “Our priority is to make sure residents move into a community that is safe, fully functional, properly managed, and built to serve generations of Antiguans and Barbudans to come.”

    As one of the largest urban renewal and affordable housing projects ever undertaken in Antigua and Barbuda, the Booby Alley Redevelopment Project was fully funded through a grant from the Government of China. The comprehensive development includes hundreds of new affordable apartment units, alongside major upgraded infrastructure: reconstructed roads and sidewalks, dedicated parking facilities, children’s playgrounds, professionally landscaped recreational green spaces, modernized utility networks, improved flood drainage systems, and a full suite of additional public amenities for new residents.

  • PM Browne Warns Public About Fake Investment Video Using His Image

    PM Browne Warns Public About Fake Investment Video Using His Image

    Prime Minister Gaston Browne has sounded a urgent public warning after a deceptive investment promotional video surfaced fraudulently using his official image to mislead potential investors. The prime minister’s office confirmed this week that the clip, which has begun circulating across multiple social media platforms and private messaging channels, was produced without any authorization from Browne or his government, and does not reflect any official initiative endorsed by the administration.

    In an official statement released to the press, Browne emphasized that the fraudulent video is part of a growing scam targeting members of the public, both domestically and among diaspora communities overseas. The clip falsely implies that Browne personally backs the unregulated investment scheme, which experts say is likely designed to convince victims to transfer thousands of dollars in savings to criminal operators with no promise of return.

    The prime minister urged all citizens and social media users to exercise extreme caution when encountering investment content that appears to feature public officials, reminding the public that government leaders never personally endorse private investment offers through unsolicited social media content. He called on anyone who has received the video to avoid clicking any embedded links, refrain from sharing it with their contacts, and report the content to local cybercrime authorities immediately.

    Law enforcement officials have also confirmed they have launched an investigation into the origin of the fake video, noting that deepfake technology has made it increasingly easy for scammers to create convincing fraudulent content that exploits public trust in government figures. Officials added that anyone who has already shared personal or financial information in response to the scam should contact their financial institutions to protect their accounts as soon as possible.

  • OP-ED: Balancing personal liberties and institutional neutrality – The case of Speaker Joseph Isaac and the rights of Dominican citizens

    OP-ED: Balancing personal liberties and institutional neutrality – The case of Speaker Joseph Isaac and the rights of Dominican citizens

    In the Caribbean nation of Dominica, a heated constitutional and political debate has erupted over the actions of House of Assembly Speaker Joseph Isaac, whose decision to speak at a rally for the ruling Dominica Labour Party (DLP) has exposed deep tensions between individual constitutional rights and the institutional requirement of political neutrality for senior public office holders.

    The controversy began when Isaac joined DLP supporters gathered under the party’s red banners to address the crowd. As Speaker, Isaac holds a constitutional role tasked with presiding over parliamentary proceedings fairly and impartially, so his open appearance on a partisan ruling party platform immediately drew public outcry. In his defense, Isaac invoked Sections 10(1) and 11(1) of Dominica’s Constitution, which guarantee all citizens the fundamental rights to freedom of expression and freedom of assembly and association.

    To understand the stakes of this dispute, it is necessary to contextualize both Isaac’s background and the constitutional framework governing his role. Appointed Speaker in 2020, Isaac has prior partisan affiliations with both the opposition United Workers Party and the ruling DLP. Dominica’s longstanding parliamentary conventions require the Speaker to act without fear, favor, affection or ill will toward any political group, treating all elected members equally regardless of party affiliation. Chapter I of the Commonwealth of Dominica Constitution enshrines core fundamental rights: Section 10(1) protects the right to hold opinions, share information and express ideas without interference, while Section 11(1) guarantees the right to associate with political parties and gather peacefully. Crucially, these rights are not absolute; the Constitution allows for reasonable restrictions justified by public order, national security or the rights and freedoms of other citizens.

    Legally, Isaac’s defense holds surface merit. The text of Dominica’s Constitution extends these fundamental rights to all citizens, including public office holders, and no explicit statutory bar prohibits the Speaker from participating in partisan political events outside of parliamentary sittings. But constitutional permissibility does not erase the ethical and normative conflict at the heart of this case. Longstanding parliamentary norms across democratic systems hold that the Speaker must remain strictly neutral to preserve public trust in the integrity of legislative proceedings. In a small state like Dominica, where political divides are already sharply drawn, public alignment with the ruling party erodes public confidence that the Speaker will referee parliamentary debates fairly. Even in the absence of actual bias, the perception of partiality inflicts lasting damage on the credibility of parliamentary institutions.

    What has amplified this controversy beyond a single officeholder’s actions are widespread allegations that the DLP government itself has systematically violated the very constitutional rights Isaac now invokes for himself. Opposition groups, civil society activists and ordinary dissenting citizens have repeatedly accused the administration of curtailing core fundamental rights protected in Sections 1 through 9 of the Constitution, ranging from freedom of peaceful assembly to freedom of the press and protection from arbitrary treatment.

    Specific allegations include selective enforcement of public order rules to block opposition protests, with police regularly denying demonstration permits or dispersing anti-government gatherings; state control of major media outlets that marginalizes dissenting voices; targeted legal and administrative pressure on government critics; and widespread electoral irregularities that undermine citizens’ right to fair political representation. Many Dominican citizens report living in constant fear of state reprisal for open opposition to the DLP: retaliation ranges from intimidation by party surrogates on social media to being blocked from access to government scholarships, public health care, education opportunities and other state benefits, purely based on political affiliation. Critics argue this creates a glaring double standard: the DLP defends the Speaker’s exercise of constitutional rights when it serves the government’s political interests, while actively suppressing the same rights for ordinary citizens who oppose the ruling party.

    From a constitutional perspective, any restrictions on fundamental rights must meet a strict test of being necessary and proportionate to a legitimate public aim. Critics note that the blanket, selectively enforced restrictions the DLP has allegedly imposed on opposition activity fail this test entirely, amounting to politically motivated suppression of core constitutional protections.

    This controversy ultimately extends far beyond Joseph Isaac’s personal conduct. It cuts to a core principle of democratic governance: the equal application of constitutional rights to all citizens, regardless of political affiliation. While Isaac’s claim to his personal constitutional rights is legally grounded, the ethical question of whether he should exercise those rights in such a public, partisan way as Speaker remains unresolved. The Speaker, by virtue of their role as the neutral referee of parliamentary democracy, carries a special obligation to voluntarily limit some personal political expression to preserve institutional integrity. For the DLP government, the implication is clear: if the administration defends the Speaker’s right to political participation, it is bound by constitutional principle to extend that same right to all Dominican citizens, even those who oppose the government.

    As things stand, the saga of Joseph Isaac and the DLP illustrates a broader, ongoing challenge for Dominican democracy: upholding the constitutional guarantee of equal rights for all, rather than applying rights selectively for political gain. Upholding this principle is not only essential to preserving the credibility of the Speaker’s office, it is core to sustaining the health of democracy in Dominica as a whole.

  • DLP welcomes organ tissue bill but raises concerns over e-prescription system

    DLP welcomes organ tissue bill but raises concerns over e-prescription system

    Barbados’ main opposition Democratic Labour Party (DLP) has publicly celebrated the parliamentary passage of the landmark Human Organ Tissue Bill, a piece of legislation expected to update the country’s outdated regulatory framework for organ and tissue donation and transplantation. But in a detailed statement released Friday, the party paired its support for the progressive health reform with a pressing warning: ongoing critical failures in the island’s new electronic prescription system are endangering vulnerable patients, and the government must intervene immediately to resolve the crisis while building strong public trust for the new organ law.

    Felicia Dujon, the DLP’s spokesperson on health issues, framed the bill’s approval as a long-overdue legislative milestone that could reshape healthcare access across Barbados. If rolled out and managed effectively, Dujon noted, the new framework has the potential to save hundreds of lives by expanding access to life-saving transplant procedures, bringing national organ donation regulations in line with global best practices, and strengthening the overall capacity of Barbados’ public healthcare system.

    The opposition explicitly backed the bill’s core structure, which formalizes clear legal guidelines for every step of the organ and tissue process: from initial donor consent and organ retrieval to storage, transplantation, and ongoing accountability for medical providers. Dujon highlighted that the legislation’s explicit focus on ethical clinical practice and transparent governance aligns with the DLP’s own goals for improving health outcomes for all Barbadians.

    Despite this broad endorsement, the DLP stressed that the bill’s long-term success is not guaranteed. For the new organ donation system to work, the party argued, the government must first earn and maintain public trust through intentional, accessible outreach and rigorous oversight. Dujon called for widespread public education campaigns designed to demystify the donation process for ordinary citizens, ensuring every Barbadian understands how the consent process works, what legal rights they hold under the new law, and what safeguards are in place to prevent abuse or exploitation.

    Transparent governance, regular independent audits, and clear accountability mechanisms will also be non-negotiable to sustain public confidence in the national organ donation network over time, the party added.

    Moving beyond the organ donation legislation, Dujon turned attention to a more urgent, ongoing crisis in Barbados’ digital public health infrastructure: systemic failures in the newly launched electronic prescription system rolled out across the Queen Elizabeth Hospital and the island’s network of public clinics. Dujon reported that the DLP has been flooded with complaints from citizens across the country, who have faced widespread delays and crippling system bottlenecks when trying to fill routine prescriptions. She noted that the harms of these disruptions fall disproportionately on two of the country’s most vulnerable groups: senior citizens and patients living with chronic long-term illnesses.

    While the DLP supports digital transformation as a tool to improve healthcare efficiency long-term, Dujon emphasized that the current rollout’s flaws carry life-threatening consequences. Many patients with chronic conditions rely on consistent, uninterrupted access to daily medication to manage their health. Even short delays can raise the risk of preventable health complications, unnecessary emergency hospital admissions, and even severe adverse health outcomes, she warned.

    Dujon restated that the DLP remains fully committed to evidence-based, progressive healthcare reform that improves outcomes for all Barbadians, and called the Human Organ Tissue Bill an important step forward for the country. But she stressed that passing legislation is only the first step of meaningful reform. True progress, she argued, depends on effective implementation, consistent focus on patient well-being, and functional systems that prioritize patient safety over bureaucratic speed.

    The opposition is now calling for immediate intervention from the ruling government to fix the electronic prescription system’s technical and operational flaws before more harm occurs to vulnerable patients. “Healthcare innovation must always enhance accessibility, safety, and quality of care,” Dujon said. “We urge the government to address the operational challenges associated with the electronic prescription system to ensure that elderly persons and other vulnerable patients are not exposed to unnecessary delays in accessing essential medication.”

    Dujon concluded by calling on the government to implement rigorous, ongoing independent evaluations for both the new organ transplantation regulatory framework and the electronic prescription rollout. The DLP insists that the ultimate metric of success for both of these public health initiatives must be the tangible protection of the health, dignity, and well-being of every Barbadian.

  • Kamla: Most don’t meet criteria

    Kamla: Most don’t meet criteria

    Trinidad and Tobago’s Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar has announced sweeping corrective changes to the country’s controversial diplomatic passport system, revealing that systemic abuse has left hundreds of ineligible people holding the high-privilege documents. As part of the new policy framework, two former top leaders — ex-prime ministers Dr Keith Rowley and Stuart Young — have been ordered to surrender their diplomatic passports and will receive official passports in their place, the head of government confirmed this week.

    The announcement came in response to public pushback from Young, who had publicly criticized the move after receiving an unexpected notification to turn in his diplomatic passport. In a social media video released Thursday, Young framed the order as ongoing political victimization, arguing that diplomatic passports are a standard entitlement for former prime ministers. Issued his document in May of last year without any request from him, Young said he was blindsided by the sudden demand to surrender the credential. “Get a call out of the blue: return the passport,” he described the interaction.

    Persad-Bissessar pushed back sharply against Young’s complaints in an interview with the Express on Monday, dismissing the former leader as a “cry baby” while laying out the catalyst for the policy review. She confirmed that the review was launched after a foreign government formally requested Trinidad and Tobago examine its loose diplomatic passport issuance practices, which an internal investigation found had resulted in 985 people holding diplomatic passports — most of whom do not meet the official eligibility criteria.

    Under international and domestic rules, Persad-Bissessar explained, diplomatic passports are reserved exclusively for individuals acting as official representatives of the Trinidad and Tobago state on international assignments. Official passports, by contrast, are designated for non-cabinet parliamentarians and government staff carrying out state technical, administrative, or departmental work abroad. While both passport types carry special travel benefits, only diplomatic passports grant potential diplomatic immunity, a privilege that is strictly granted by receiving nations in line with the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations.

    Young, who no longer holds a qualifying office for a diplomatic passport, will be switched to an official passport under the new rules, Persad-Bissessar confirmed. He is not the only one affected: the policy overhaul will reclassify many current diplomatic passport holders to official passports, move some entirely to standard ordinary passports, and allow a small number of eligible holders to retain their diplomatic status. The prime minister stressed that the reclassification is not a punishment or a reflection of wrongdoing for any affected individual, but simply a long-overdue correction of past abuses.

    “When some people get used to preferential treatment, equal treatment seems like discrimination to them. Stuart should stop his cry baby, beh-beh behaviour. It’s unbecoming,” Persad-Bissessar said, pushing back on claims the move is politically motivated.

    Addressing the status of former prime minister Keith Rowley, Persad-Bissessar confirmed he will also be required to surrender his diplomatic passport. Per existing regulations, all diplomatic passport holders must return their documents to the Ministry of Foreign and Caricom Affairs once their overseas posting ends, they retire from public office, or they leave a political position that qualifies them for the credential. Rowley is retired from office and no longer represents Trinidad and Tobago in any official capacity, so he does not qualify to retain the document, she said.

    Ministry staff will contact Rowley in the coming weeks to coordinate the surrender and issue him an official passport, which will retain most of the travel benefits of a diplomatic passport but will not include eligibility for diplomatic immunity, Persad-Bissessar added. Rowley had not issued any public response to the announcement as of Monday, when reached for comment by the Express.

    In addition to the passport policy announcement, Persad-Bissessar confirmed she will travel to St. Lucia tomorrow to attend the 51st Regular Meeting of the Conference of Caricom Heads of Government, scheduled to run from July 5 to 8. She will be joined on the trip by Foreign and Caricom Affairs Minister Sean Sobers and Prime Minister’s Office Minister Nicholas Morris.

    The conference will also oversee an upcoming leadership transition for the regional bloc: St. Lucia Prime Minister Philip J Pierre will assume the Caricom chairmanship on July 1, 2026, and will hold the role through the end of the year, replacing current chairman Dr Terrance Drew, the prime minister of St Kitts and Nevis. Persad-Bissessar noted she has already held preliminary discussions with Pierre ahead of the formal meeting.

  • CoP: No ‘sacred cows’ as 17 officers lose jobs

    CoP: No ‘sacred cows’ as 17 officers lose jobs

    A major anti-corruption and disciplinary overhaul is underway in the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service (TTPS), after top official Allister Guevarro announced the permanent revocation of appointments for 17 suspended police officers this week, reaffirming a zero-tolerance policy for misconduct that leaves no member of the force exempt from accountability.

    The 17 affected officers are just a fraction of the 280 TTPS personnel currently suspended over a range of alleged rule-breaking and criminal infractions. Their names were formally released in an official advisory, with the revocation confirmed in a public voice note address from Police Commissioner Guevarro shared with media over the weekend following Thursday’s initial announcement.

    In his address, Guevarro centered his remarks on a core principle guiding the disciplinary push: there are no “sacred cows” within the TTPS. Police officers across all ranks are granted extraordinary public authority to maintain safety and uphold the law, Guevarro explained, and this public mandate comes with a non-negotiable duty to hold themselves to the highest standards of integrity, discipline, and service to the people of Trinidad and Tobago.

    “Any officer who wears this uniform and engages in criminality will face the full weight of lawful action. I will take every step necessary to remove you from this organisation,” Guevarro said. He stressed that when officers break their oath of office, consequences will be unambiguous, swift, and applied equally to all ranks, regardless of position or seniority. Drawing on a vivid local turn of phrase to underscore his commitment to equal accountability, Guevarra argued that all criminals face the same consequence: “it will be big gouti, small gouti, same shot.”

    The commissioner added that the TTPS remains fully committed to the values of transparency, accountability, and the highest ideals of public service. This disciplinary crackdown is part of a broader push to strengthen institutional integrity, rebuild public confidence in the force, and remind every serving officer that their core duty is to serve the public without bias or favoritism. Guevarro promised that as the zero-tolerance policy is rolled out, the public will see a more determined, united response to widespread crime.

    Reaction to the decision from the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service Social and Welfare Association, the representative body for officers, has been measured but broadly supportive. Association president ASP Ishmael Pitt told reporters that if Commissioner Guevarro is acting within the bounds of his legal authority, the association has no objections to the revocations.

    “We support any move to improve the image of the TTPS and address issues of accountability, integrity and ethics,” Pitt said. But Pitt did highlight a longstanding point of friction between the association and TTPS leadership: the association has concerns in cases where disciplinary action is taken prematurely, without adhering to core principles of natural justice that guarantee officers fair process. Pitt stressed that once all due process requirements and legal parameters are met for the 17 revoked officers, the association will not challenge the decision.

    Following the announcement, the TTPS released the full list of officers whose appointments have been revoked: Tamara Boyce, Vijay Singh, Elliot Chin, Joanne Jadoo, Owen Hem-Lee, Jilann Holder, Kizzy Thomas, Karlon Murray, Christopher Gobin, Michael Alcala, Carlos Thorne, Devon Basant, Akiel Smith, Desron Dillon, Shaun Reid, Joff Awong and Daryl Baksh.

  • Elections : The Prime Minister’s Office approves an electoral budget cut in half

    Elections : The Prime Minister’s Office approves an electoral budget cut in half

    In a significant development for Haiti’s upcoming democratic process, top government officials and electoral leaders announced a landmark budget agreement for national elections on Friday, July 3, 2026. Following multiple rounds of collaborative working sessions, the Prime Minister’s Office and Haiti’s Provisional Electoral Council (CEP) have finalized a slashed budget for electoral operations, cutting the original preliminary proposal by nearly half.

    Technical oversight for the budget review was led by teams from Haiti’s Ministry of Economy and Finance (MEF), which conducted a line-by-line audit of every expenditure category in the initial funding request. The re-evaluation was grounded in practical, context-aware assumptions that balanced core operational needs with the country’s current fiscal realities. Planners incorporated key on-ground factors, including the incremental improvement of Haiti’s security landscape, the restoration of movement in previously hard-to-access regions, the Haitian government’s constrained financial capacity, and global best practices for responsible public financial management.

    Under the final agreement, total authorized funding for electoral operations stands at $120 million USD. The two bodies have also included a provision for future adjustments, stating that the budget may be amended at a later date via joint consensus if unforeseen operational needs arise. The revised total marks a sharp reduction from the $250 million preliminary budget initially submitted by electoral officials. Prior to this agreement, a joint commission featuring representatives from three United Nations bodies—the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS), and the United Nations Integrated Office in Haiti (BINUH)—had already proposed a downward re-assessment, recommending a budget range of $220 million to $230 million. Even that revised UN-proposed range is nearly double the newly agreed $120 million allocation.

    Leaders from both institutions frame the budget deal as a critical milestone in moving long-planned elections forward. The Haitian government has reaffirmed its commitment to securing all necessary resources for every stage of the electoral process, working within the limits of state capacity and in coordination with domestic and international partners. For its part, CEP has reiterated its pledge to oversee the electoral process with impartiality, professionalism, and full independence, adhering strictly to Haiti’s constitutional and legal framework as well as globally accepted standards for democratic election administration.

  • Defense Ministry Paid J&J Imports $1.1M Through Repeated Small Invoices

    Defense Ministry Paid J&J Imports $1.1M Through Repeated Small Invoices

    A growing corruption scandal tied to Belize’s Ministry of Defense has expanded with new revelations of more than $1.1 million in improper payments to a private import firm, all routed through a pattern of small, under-the-threshold invoices designed to evade oversight. The latest findings, pulled from 163 leaked internal Smart Stream financial documents reviewed by News Five, show that between 2022 and 2025, J&J Imports collected the seven-figure sum from defense department coffers, with nearly all payments individually capped below the $10,000 reporting threshold that triggers stricter approval protocols.

    This exposure follows earlier disclosures of multi-million dollar questionable payouts to connected firms, including more than $9 million directed to businesses linked to the Mira family and $1.7 million earned by Kukulcan Company Limited, which has alleged ties to Belize’s Minister of National Defense Florencio Marin. Of that total, $1.4 million came directly from the defense ministry via the same small-invoice practice, leading investigators and journalists to suspect a coordinated scheme to avoid public scrutiny.

    Additional documents name Enrique Javier Requena, the publicly confirmed owner of J&J Imports, as having received more than $275,000 in separate payments between 2021 and 2022, again through repeated sub-$10,000 invoices. On a single day in July 2022 alone, for example, the Ministry of Defense disbursed a combined total of more than $109,000: $16,287.27 to J&J Imports across three small invoices, and $93,061.59 to Requena across 13 separate small invoices. Records also show a $10,000 payment from the Office of the Prime Minister to Requena in December 2021.

    Public scrutiny has now turned to potential political connections: Requena is a second cousin to Ramon “Monchie” Cervantes, the People’s United Party (PUP) Area Representative for Orange Walk North. When contacted by reporters this week, Cervantes confirmed his family relationship to Requena but denied any involvement in securing the defense ministry contracts or payments. “No, not at all, I had nothing to do with it,” Cervantes told reporters, distancing himself from the expanding controversy.

    As questions mount over who authorized these repeated small payments and what role political connections played in awarding the contracts, Prime Minister John Briceño has pledged full accountability. Briceño noted that his administration campaigned on a promise of cleaner governance, and has already ordered a full independent audit of defense ministry finances led by the Auditor General. “We made a promise that we are going to be different and as Prime Minister I think it was my responsibility to act quickly. I did not try to hide anything or push it aside,” Briceño said. “Once that came to my attention, I had to act and both former ministers are people I know over years, but we have a compact with the Belizean people that we will be different.”

    The audit is scheduled to take 90 days to complete, with Briceño confirming that any individual found to have engaged in misconduct — whether public servant or elected politician — will face consequences. “The Auditor General is starting to compile all information. The CEO, CEO Usher has assured me that they are complying to the full extent and the auditor general will do a full investigation and if there was any wrong doing, be it public officers or politicians, they will have to answer,” the prime minister added.

  • Monchi Breaks Silence on J&J Imports and Smart Stream Suspensions

    Monchi Breaks Silence on J&J Imports and Smart Stream Suspensions

    On July 3, 2026, Belizean area representative for Orange Walk North Ramon “Monchi” Cervantes has publicly addressed growing public and political scrutiny surrounding his alleged ties to J&J Imports, a local firm currently under investigation over questionable payment arrangements with the Ministry of Defense. The long-serving politician pushed back hard against any claims of involvement, denying any formal or informal connection to the import company despite its registration being held by members of his extended family, the Requena.

    The controversy has already spilled over into the broader Smart Stream public procurement scandal, which has seen multiple sitting colleagues of Cervantes placed on administrative leave, including senior cabinet member Florencio Marin Junior—one of Cervantes’ closest political allies in the northern region of the country. When reporters pressed Cervantes for his reaction to Marin Junior’s decision to step down from his cabinet post pending the investigation, the lawmaker clarified that the move was entirely Marin’s personal choice, noting he had not spoken with his ally about the decision and would respect whatever path Marin chose to take.

    In a series of questions from local political reporters, Cervantes refuted every allegation of improper influence tied to the company. When asked whether J&J Imports had ever provided pantry or grocery aid packages to his Orange Walk North constituency, Cervantes flatly denied the claim. He also rejected suggestions that he had lobbied senior minister Marin to help J&J Imports secure a favorable public supply contract, telling reporters he never held any such conversation. When pressed on whether the company was specifically created by his relatives to win lucrative Belize Defense Force (BDF) supply contracts, Cervantes said he had no knowledge of the company’s founding purpose.

    Most recently, unconfirmed reports have circulated that Cervantes was once considered a top candidate to take over the national defense portfolio, but that the prime minister ultimately ruled out the appointment because of his familial connection to J&J Imports, a major current supplier to the BDF. Cervantes dismissed any insight into the appointment process, repeating once more that he holds no connection to the import firm at all.

    This report is adapted from a verbatim transcript of a local evening television newscast that conducted the on-the-ground interview with Cervantes this week.