分类： society

A Belizean woman from Independence Village, Sherene Garbutt, is preparing to take legal action against the Lands Department after discovering that a 22-acre parcel of land she was in the process of acquiring was sold to another party. Garbutt had obtained official permission to survey the land in May 2022, completed the survey in August 2022, and applied for a lease, only to learn earlier this year that the land had been sold to someone else. She claims that the survey she paid for was used to issue the title to the new owner. The Ministry of Natural Resources offered Garbutt $6,500 to cover her survey costs in exchange for signing an agreement to prevent future lawsuits, but she refused, demanding either the original land or a comparable parcel in the same area. Garbutt asserts that this incident represents a blatant breach of due process and undermines her legitimate expectations. The Lands Department has acknowledged the case but maintains that completing a survey and applying for a lease does not guarantee ownership. Garbutt’s legal battle highlights systemic issues in land administration and raises concerns about transparency and fairness in property transactions.

In a remarkable display of community resilience, residents of Corozal’s Little Belize, Viva Esperanza, and Chunox have banded together to address years of neglected road infrastructure. Frustrated by the lack of government action, locals have pooled resources—money, machinery, and manpower—to repair roads that have long been in disrepair. While Area Representative Florencio Marin Jr. and the Ministry of Infrastructure Development initiated some improvements earlier this year, villagers argue these efforts fell far short of what was needed. The community is now urging the government to prioritize upgrades along the San Estevan to Chunox route. Franz Olfert, a resident, shared with News Five that the dire state of the roads left them with no choice but to act independently. Neighbors contributed funds, hired equipment, and began repairs, driven by a shared goal of ensuring safer and more accessible travel for all. Despite their efforts, Olfert emphasized that the funds raised—$5,000 from Little Belize and $1,000 from Chunox—are insufficient for comprehensive repairs. He hopes media attention will spur government intervention to address the critical condition of the roads.

In October 2025, while many public sector employees in Belize celebrated a newly implemented salary increase, a significant group of workers found themselves excluded from this financial uplift. Among those left out were employees of the National Library Service, who did not receive the anticipated adjustment in their paychecks. According to Dean Flowers, President of the Public Service Union (PSU), this exclusion stems from the library service’s conversion into a statutory board over two decades ago, which reclassified its workers outside the public officer category. Flowers expressed deep concern over this development, labeling it a ‘sad situation’ and criticizing it as a result of flawed political decisions. He emphasized that these workers are now deprived of not only the salary adjustment but also their pension benefits, which have been ‘wiped out completely.’ Flowers called for urgent action, including the design of a Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) to address the issue. He also warned that other statutory bodies, such as the Belize Tax Services Department, could face similar challenges if economic analyses fail to demonstrate their ability to sustain proposed benefits. Flowers’ remarks highlight broader concerns about the sustainability and fairness of public service reforms in Belize.

Two individuals convicted for the heinous murder of 70-year-old businessman Oscar Rosado Sr. are now challenging their convictions and sentences in the Court of Appeal. Brandon Hughes, identified as the shooter, is serving a life sentence with no parole eligibility for 30 years, while his accomplice, Jose Gomez, who claimed he only intended to rob the store, is serving a 12-year sentence with a minimum of eight years before parole. Both have been incarcerated for less than two years but are now seeking to overturn their verdicts. After two hours of rigorous arguments, the court reserved its decision for a later date. Deputy Director of Public Prosecutions Sheiniza Smith defended the convictions, emphasizing the profound impact of the crime on Rosado’s family and the necessity of upholding justice. In contrast, defense attorneys Orson ‘OJ’ Elrington and David McKoy argued that the convictions were ‘unsafe,’ citing missing transcripts, incomplete notes, and the absence of a written judgment. They contended that these omissions hindered a fair assessment of the trial judge’s application of the law, labeling it a ‘tremendous miscarriage of justice.’ For the Rosado family, the appeal has reopened painful wounds. Oscar Rosado Jr. expressed his anguish, stating, ‘They should be thankful their lives are in limbo. They should be thankful to be alive—because my dad is dead. My dad cannot ask for an appeal.’ The Court of Appeal’s decision remains pending.