BDF Soldiers Question Transparency in Equipment Procurement

Concerns are surfacing tonight from within the Belize Defense Force, as some soldiers question how government decisions are being made when it comes to purchasing essential military equipment. Until recently, service members were responsible for sourcing items like weapons and boots from approved suppliers, but that authority has now shifted to the Ministry of Defense. Since then, questions have been raised about transparency and how contracts are being awarded. We spoke with former Minister of Defense Oscar Mira about the issue, and here’s what he had to say.

 

Oscar Mira, Former Minister of Defense

“I think would not be right for me to comment on a ministry that I am not from right now. I know that there’s a strict tender process that happens. And when I was at the Ministry of National Defense on Board of Security, that tender process was being followed to the letter, making sure that there was no issues whenever those tenders go to the contractor general, and once the contractor general signs off on it, that every step had been followed. That was the procedures that I left. I believe that is the procedure that’s being followed right now.”

 

Reporter

“And have any of your relatives ever been contracted to for these supplies?”

 

Oscar Mira

“Yes. They have in the past they had they had applied for tenders and they had been granted both under the previous administration.”

 

Former Defense Minister Oscar Mira says the procurement process was strictly followed during his tenure and maintains that proper tender procedures are still in place, even as questions about transparency continue to circulate within the ranks.