Agriculture Ministry Condemns Social Media Post Accusing Minister

A viral social media post accusing Minister of Agriculture, Food Security, and Enterprise, Jose Mai, of criminal activity has drawn a sharp response from the ministry, which has labeled the claims as false, defamatory, and politically motivated.

In an official statement released Thursday, the ministry said the post seeks to “implicate the Minister of Agriculture, Food Security, and Enterprise in alleged local and trans-border criminal activity.” It described the allegations as baseless and claimed they were part of a smear campaign driven by “fake news media conspiring with detractors and political agents of the opposition UDP.”

The ministry said the minister “categorically and emphatically” denies the claims.

According to the ministry, it will “seek and exhaust all legal recourse against those persons who are discovered to be behind this brazen and cowardly attack.”

On his personal social media page, Minister Mai warned, “Fake news and childish attempts to tarnish the reputation of Hon. Jose Abelardo Mai will not go unnoticed.”

These statements come after a Mexican blog alleged on October 1st that the Mexican criminal group Los Caborca has corrupted authorities in Belize through Minister Mai.