Chebat Says He Did Not Intervene in Garcia Case, Acknowledges Garcia Worked on His 2025 Campaign

Minister of National Security Michel Chebat says he made no attempt to intervene on behalf of Benjamin Garcia, who pleaded guilty to a firearm-related charge. Chebat who is also the PUP’s area representative for Cayo North acknowledged that Garcia worked on his 2025 election campaign.

Questions about preferential treatment surfaced after Garcia’s arrest and guilty plea, with allegations circulating that political connections may have influenced how the matter was handled. Garcia was fined $3,000 after pleading guilty to discharging a licensed firearm in public near the Social Lounge in Belize City. A charge against a second man, Mexican businessman Sergio Martinez Ramirez, was withdrawn.

Chebat said he was briefed early in the morning when the incident happened.

“So I was briefed on that very early in the morning when that happened, and my reaction was, he needs to go through the process,” Chebat said.

He did not deny the connection to Garcia. “Ben is a media personality and I’m not running away from the fact that he had worked with me in my 2025 campaign,” Chebat said. “But he works with many other persons, you know? I’m not the only one. It’s not exclusive to me. This is the work he does.”

Chebat said his position from the start was that Garcia should be treated like anyone else and go through the legal process.