Tribunal anula órdenes contra Enriquez

Jeremy Enriquez y su equipo celebran una victoria legal clave después de que el Tribunal de Apelaciones anulara más de veinte órdenes judiciales en su contra. En marzo pasado, Enriquez intentó detener las Elecciones Generales de 2025 por considerarlas inconstitucionales, pero perdió en la Corte Mayor y decidió apelar.

Durante el proceso de apelación, Enriquez denunció que un micrófono abierto reveló la supuesta parcialidad de un juez. Asegura que en lugar de abrir una investigación, enfrentó órdenes de silencio impuestas por el mismo juez.

“La Comisión de Servicios Judiciales y Legales recibió y reconoció nuestra denuncia, pero no tomó medidas sustanciales para abordar nuestras preocupaciones. Buscábamos una investigación por la mala conducta del juez, pero no se realizó ninguna. A pesar de hacer seguimiento dos veces, una tras presentar la denuncia inicial, la Comisión no proporcionó actualizaciones ni resoluciones. Como resultado, nos vimos obligados a presentar una solicitud ante el Tribunal Superior, pidiendo la recusación del juez en futuros casos relacionados con nosotros. Incluso mientras nuestra denuncia estaba pendiente ante la Comisión, el juez emitió órdenes sin juicio ni audiencia. Entre estas, una orden de silencio contra mi abogado y yo, que logramos impugnar con éxito en el Tribunal de Apelaciones. Finalmente, el Tribunal revocó esa orden y aproximadamente otras veinte resoluciones injustas emitidas en nuestra contra.”

Enriquez afirmó que esta decisión le da impulso para seguir adelante con su lucha legal.

Aunque la polémica por las elecciones generales de 2025 ha bajado de tono, Jeremy Enriquez y su equipo se preparan para una nueva batalla en los tribunales. Alegan que los comicios fueron inconstitucionales y acusan al gobierno de violar la ley suprema del país.

“Este gobierno llegó al poder violando la ley suprema del país, con otra elección inconstitucional que impusieron al pueblo de Belize, a pesar de sus promesas previas”, señaló Enriquez.

“Esto debe quedar registrado en la historia de nuestra nación: ambos partidos políticos principales han violado repetidamente la Constitución, enfrentando solo el silencio de las organizaciones de la sociedad civil y la Asociación de Abogados. Eso es lo primero.”

Enriquez también destacó el alto costo de esta lucha legal.

“Todo este esfuerzo tiene un costo. Por eso, hago un llamado al público beliceño para que, en la medida de lo posible, nos apoyen para cubrir estos gastos. El gobierno usa los recursos del pueblo para luchar contra el pueblo. Nosotros, desde la base, pedimos todo el apoyo posible para sacar a la luz esta verdad.”

Su objetivo, afirma, es sentar un precedente para que Belize no vuelva a enfrentar elecciones que, según él, violen la Constitución.

“Para que nunca más tengamos que enfrentar otra elección con un gobierno que sigue violando la Constitución y saliéndose con la suya.”

Cumbre busca atraer más inversión

Faltando menos de dos meses, la Cumbre de Inversión Belize 2025 se perfila para atraer a cientos de inversionistas y empresarios interesados en nuevas oportunidades económicas. Organizada cada dos años por la Oficina del Primer Ministro y el Ministerio de Finanzas, este encuentro busca fortalecer conexiones y abrir espacios para más proyectos en el país.

El tema de este año, Conectando mercados, construyendo resiliencia, subraya la meta de impulsar la conectividad y consolidar la economía nacional. Así lo explicó Lincoln Blake, Director de Política y Cumplimiento de Inversiones.

“Belize tiene el objetivo de convertirse en un centro de inversión para Centroamérica para el año veinte treinta, y todo está dentro de los planes estratégicos y acciones de la política y estrategia nacional de inversión. Entonces, la Cumbre de Inversión Belize es una de esas acciones, y con ello buscamos atraer no solo inversión extranjera directa, sino también inversión local para desarrollar y seguir haciendo crecer la economía.”

Blake destacó que uno de los principales logros de la cumbre ha sido crear redes de contactos clave.

“Uno de los éxitos de la cumbre es establecer conexiones. La cumbre ha creado un ambiente donde los inversionistas, altos funcionarios gubernamentales y técnicos pueden reunirse para concretar inversiones. Y eso ha funcionado bien. Desde la primera cumbre en veinte veintiuno hasta la fecha, hemos visto un crecimiento en el interés de los inversionistas. Y los datos del banco central muestran que la inversión extranjera directa ha venido aumentando desde veinte veintiuno hasta ahora.”

BREAKING: Police Investigate Death of Toddler

Police are investigating the tragic death of a 16-month-old baby girl in Georgetown Village, Stann Creek District.
According to the Belize Police Department, on Wednesday the mother left her home around 5:00 a.m. to go to work, leaving her daughter in the care of her neighbor.
The mother told police that when she returned home around 4:00 p.m., she found her baby unresponsive.
According to the neighbor, she fed the child rice and gave her a bottle of chocolate milk around 1:30 p.m., then put her to sleep. Approximately two hours later, she reportedly found the infant lying in vomit and unresponsive.

Police Investigate Aggravated Burglary in Belize City

Police are investigating an aggravated burglary that occurred in the Kings Park area of Belize City shortly after midnight on Thursday, 24 July.

Police say the incident happened just after midnight in the Kings Park area, when a 32-year-old woman had just entered her residence. A male intruder reportedly followed her inside, struck her in the head, and attempted to sexually assault her.

The woman managed to break free and ran to safety.

Thai Monks Arrested After Testing Positive for Meth

Four Buddhist monks in Thailand have been defrocked and sent for rehabilitation after testing positive for methamphetamine during a police drug sweep on 17 July.

The raid took place in Si Sa Ket province, where authorities were acting on community reports of suspicious activity at local temples. Urine tests at two temples revealed four monks had taken the drug.

The men later admitted to using meth, with one monk in his 60s saying he took two pills to ease chronic pain and to celebrate the start of Buddhist Lent (Khao Phansa).

The incident has raised concerns about drug use within monastic communities. Local police confirmed the men are now in a government-run rehab facility.

More Details of Belizean Woman Killed in LA

A Belizean woman was found dead in the Westmont area of Los Angeles County last Thursday night. The incident has prompted a homicide investigation by the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.

Authorities initially reported that 31-year-old Joeline Turton, a Belizean entrepreneur and restaurant owner, had been shot, but the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner later confirmed that the cause of death was multiple sharp-force injuries.

A motive has not been released, and no suspects have been named.

Turton owned Peppers Jamaican Cuisine, a well-known restaurant in South Los Angeles that served Caribbean cuisine and was popular among Belizeans in the area.

Local news outlet Hollywood LA News reported that Turton “reportedly went with a group of four or five friends to attack the ex-girlfriend of her partner and ended up being killed.”

Turton’s mother told the local media, “She was the most beautifulest inside and out, she doesn’t bring harm to nobody, she’s always been a peaceful person… We are undecided right now what we’re going to do about the restaurant, but I wish I could just keep going for her sake, because that’s what she’d like.”

“She’s always that person who’s trying to bring the family together,” the mother added.

Here’s the Full List of Government Rental Offices and Landlords

In response to a Freedom of Information request from News Five, the Ministry of Public Service shared a list of landlords, building locations, and tenant ministries. However, it withheld from releasing the actual rental contracts of 116 office spaces being rented countrywide.

It cited legal advice and claimed disclosure could raise rental prices and hurt the national budget.

Belize City accounts for 29 of the rentals, followed by Belmopan with 28 and Punta Gorda with 11. Some landlords appear more than once, including H.D. Thompson Limited in Belize City, Fuk William Tam in Belmopan, and William Maheia in Punta Gorda.

The Election and Boundaries Department leads with 12 rental offices, followed by the Post Office with 8 and the Ministry of Rural Transformation with 6.

Click here to view the full list of landlords, locations, and tenant ministries.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Government Rental Deals Raise Transparency Questions

Tonight, we’re taking a closer look at how your tax dollars are being spent and what the government doesn’t want you to see. News Five filed a freedom of information request asking for all active rental contracts the Government of Belize has entered into. The Ministry of Public Service responded, but only partially. While they gave us a list of landlords, office locations, and which ministries are renting them, they refused to release the actual contracts. So, what are they hiding? Without those contracts, we can’t verify if taxpayers are getting value for money. But here’s what we do know: the government is currently renting one hundred and sixteen office spaces across the country. Belize City tops the list with twenty-nine rentals, followed closely by Belmopan with twenty-eight. Some landlords appear multiple times, raising even more questions.

 

Paul Lopez, Reporting

In a partial response to News Five’s freedom of information request, the Ministry of Public Service informed us that they are unable to provide a copy of every active tenancy agreement or contract that the Government of Belize has entered into. We requested this information, in the interest of the public, to determine whether taxpayers are getting value for money. But the government has refused to provide these contracts, citing section thirty of the Freedom of Information Act. This section states that a document is exempt if its disclosure would be contrary to the public interest because it would have substantial adverse effects on the national economy. Well, News Five’s request for these contracts is in the public interest. But the government’s rationale is that releasing copies of these rental contracts would increase rental prices for the ministries and consequently increase the annual budget. In their response, they even quoted former Prime Minister, Dean Barrow, a proponent of the Freedom of Information Bill. They quoted Barrow saying quote, “the ministry can refuse to release those documents because people would have an interest in knowing the location, for example… because land prices in that area will go up… these are the sorts of exceptions that are absolutely well recognized”. But, when we reached out to the former prime minister, he informed us that he was referencing national lands and not rental contracts between the government and private landlords. So, we will keep pushing them to get those contracts, because it is important to verify if what the government is renting is worth what they are paying. The Ministry of Public Service did, however, honor two of our requests with new information. It provided a list of all landlords it has entered tenancy agreements with, the locations of those buildings and the government agencies utilizing those buildings.

Here is what we observed on the surface:

Between June 2024 and June 2025, the Government of Belize has been paying rent for one hundred and sixteen office spaces.

Belize City leads as the municipality with the most government rentals, a total of twenty-nine.

Belmopan follows closely behind with twenty-eight government rentals. The remainder are scattered across the country, with Punta Gorda seeing the third largest number of government rentals, with eleven.

Interestingly, the names of some landlords repeat on the list provided by the Ministry of Public Service. Take, for example, Belize City, where H.D. Thompson Limited, is renting the government four spaces, three for the Ministry of Health and one for Immigration. Dinesh Bhojwani shows up twice for rental spaces on Regent Street, while Victor Awe appears two times for three floors on North Front Street.

 

In Belmopan, the government is renting three separate spaces from Fuk William Tam, while Geev Abadi’s name shows up twice on the list for rental spaces in that city. Of equal note is the fact that the National Security Directorate is renting property in Belmopan from former ambassador Alexis Rosado.  In Punta Gorda, William Maheia is renting to Labour and Rural Development, while in San Ignacio, Karim Adle, a known ally of Cayo North Representative Michel Chebat, is renting a property to the Human Service Department. And we are just beginning to scratch the surface of the landlords on the list and their properties.

 

Now, when it comes to a breakdown of the ministries and departments with the most tenancy agreements, the Election and Boundaries Department takes the lead. It occupies twelve rental spaces across the country. The Post Office comes closely behind, occupying eight rental spaces. The Ministry of Rural Transformation, Community Development, Labour and Local Government rounds out the top three.

 

But again, are Belizean taxpayers getting bang for their buck? One of the primary ways to determine that is through those tenancy contracts that the Ministry of Public Service, upon the advice of the attorney general, has declared exempt documents. Reporting for News Five, I am Paul Lopez.

 

Ex-Ambassador Under Investigation for Rape Allegation

A troubling allegation is making headlines tonight involving a former Belizean ambassador. He’s currently in police custody at the Benque Viejo Police Station as authorities investigate a serious claim, that he raped a male minor. News Five spoke with a relative of the ex-diplomat earlier today, who confirmed that he’s expected to appear in court this Thursday in that jurisdiction. Now, while no formal charges have been filed just yet, the nature of the allegation is already raising serious concerns. Details remain limited at this time, but we’re closely monitoring the situation and will continue to bring you updates as they unfold.

 

Farm Worker Accused of Raping Child, Remanded to Prison  

A twenty-one-year-old maintenance worker from Rancho Dolores is behind bars tonight, accused of a horrifying crime. Keon Alex Belisle is on remand at the Belize Central Prison after being arraigned earlier today for the rape of a child. Belisle appeared unrepresented in the lower court this morning, where a Senior Magistrate read him a single charge, rape of a child. The allegation is that he sexually assaulted a five-year-old boy. The alleged incident happened on Monday in a rural part of the Belize District. According to police, Belisle, who worked on the child’s family farm, took the boy to a pasture and forced him to perform a sexual act. A witness reportedly shouted at the suspect, causing him to flee the scene. The message from the bench was firm: this is an indictable offense, meaning it will be tried at the High Court. No plea was taken, and because of the severity of the charge, bail was denied. Belisle has been remanded until September twenty-fifth. Police say the investigation is ongoing, and the community is understandably shaken. We’ll continue to follow this case closely and bring you updates as they become available.

 

Exit mobile version