Benita Keme-Palacio - Greater Belize Media

Cause of Death of American Women Confirmed

The tragic deaths of three young women at the Royal Kahal Beach Resort in San Pedro, Belize, have been confirmed to be caused by acute pulmonary oedema, according to the Executive Director of the National Forensic Science Service, Gian Sho.

In an interview with CBS News Boston, Sho stated, “”The lead examiner concluded the terminal cause of death to be acute pulmonary oedema… and what led to acute pulmonary oedema is what is pending investigation.”

Also part of the interview was Police Commissioner Chester Williams, who reaffirmed that physical trauma was not observed, as there were “no signs of violence on the bodies of the 3 young women.” Williams added that the vomit found beside each woman led investigations to suspect drug overdose.

Alcohol and gummies were discovered in the room, and forensic tests on these items are being analysed to uncover any potential links to the deaths.

The U.S. Embassy is working closely with Belizean authorities, with toxicology results expected within 7 to 14 days. Samples were taken and will be sent to a laboratory in the US for testing. A complete report could take up to a month, depending on the findings.

Kaoutar Naqqad, 23, Imane Mallah, 24, and Wafae El-Arar, 26—were found dead in their hotel suite on Saturday morning. The women were residents of Revere City, Massachusetts.

Colin Gillet, the Fire Chief of the Belize National Fire Service, confirmed that officers conducted two separate tests for carbon monoxide and “found nothing.”

Sho added that though the fire department has ruled out carbon monoxide as a factor, the forensic department will “still be going to test the samples for carbon monoxide”

The investigation to determine what led to acute pulmonary oedema is still ongoing.

Trump’s $5M ‘Gold Card’ Offers Wealthy Investors Fast-Track to U.S. Citizenship

Would you be willing to spend $5 million for U.S. residency and citizenship? If you happen to have that kind of money, President Donald Trump’s new “gold cards” could provide a fast track to securing both.

CNN Politics reported that Trump’s “gold cards” will offer their holders green card privileges and a pathway to citizenship. “We’re going to be selling a gold card,” Trump stated in the Oval Office, adding, “You have a green card. This is a gold card. We’re going to be putting a price on that card of about $5 million, and that’s going to give you green card privileges, plus it’s going to be a route to citizenship. And wealthy people will be coming into our country by buying this card.”

Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick explained the gold card would replace the EB-5 investor visa program. The EB-5 program was introduced in 1992 and allows foreign investors to obtain a U.S. green card by investing in U.S. businesses.

CNN stated that despite its intentions to create jobs, it has been criticised for benefiting the wealthy, including Trump’s own businesses.

Trump suggested the cards could also be sold to Russian oligarchs, stating, “Yeah, possibly. I know some Russian oligarchs that are very nice people.”

The program’s reform, which Trump aims to implement within two weeks, has already sparked debate over its potential to prioritise money over merit and fairness in immigration, CNN reported.

EBC Issues Correction on Nomination Day Details

The Elections and Boundaries Commission (EBC) has issued a correction regarding its earlier press release on the nominations for the upcoming March 12th General Elections. The statement revealed errors in the names of two political parties. The Belizean Justice Movement was initially listed as the “Belize Justice Movement,” while the General Opportunity Development Party was listed as the “Good Opportunity Development Party.”

The EBC received a total of 90 nominations on Monday. These include 41 from the United Democratic Party (UDP), 31 from the People’s United Party (PUP), 7 from the Belizean Justice Movement, and one from the General Opportunity Development Party. The People’s National Party secured 2 nominations, the People’s Democratic Party 4, and 4 nominations were made by independent candidates.

As previously reported, the Fort George Area Representative Henry Charles Usher and Pickstock Area Representative Anthony Mahler were declared winners without contest after their opponents failed to show up for nomination. Usher saw his challenger, Melvin Hewlett, absent from the event, while Mahler secured another term after his opponent, Dean Samuels, did not appear for his nomination. Both Hewlett and Samuels were candidates running under the UDP led by Moses “Shyne” Barrow.

Belizeans Show Growing Optimism About Economy in January

According to the Statistical Institute of Belize (SIB), Belize’s Consumer Confidence Index (CCI) for January 2025 showed a major improvement, which means that Belizeans are feeling more “optimistic about the economy and their own economic prospects.”

The CCI jumped from 48.0 to 50.5, a 5.2% increase from December 2024, SIB reported. Key to this increase were improvements in the ‘Present’ and ‘Durable Goods’ components.

The ‘Present’ sub-index surged by 12.9%, reflecting more positive views of current economic conditions. Confidence in making major purchases like homes and cars grew by 5.9%.

Meanwhile, expectations for future economic conditions dipped slightly by 1%, with the ‘Expectations’ sub-index falling to 59.6.

The Cayo district recorded the highest gain, with confidence climbing 11.4% to 52.4, while Stann Creek experienced a 6.5% decline.

While urban consumers saw an 8% rise in confidence, rural areas also showed improvement with a 3.1% increase. Confidence was notably higher among men, whose sentiment rose by 4.7%, while women saw a more modest increase of 0.8%.

The Mestizo/Hispanic group saw the largest rise in confidence, with a 12% increase, reflecting stronger sentiment in both present conditions and major purchases. In contrast, the ‘Other’ group experienced a 6% decline in consumer confidence.

Belize Inflation Rises by 2.2% in January

The latest Consumer Price Index (CPI) report from the Statistical Institute of Belize (SIB) reveals that Belize’s inflation rate rose by 2.2% in January 2025 compared to the same month last year, with price hikes reflected in food, housing, and transport. According to SIB, the CPI rose from 117.3 to 119.8.

Food and non-alcoholic beverages saw a price increase of 2.2%, with fruits like watermelon and pineapples rising by over 16%, and cereal products like bread and tortillas climbing by 2.8%. Meanwhile, fresh vegetable prices dropped by 4.2%. The cost of non-alcoholic beverages surged by 7.6%, particularly for fruit juices and purified water.

SIB reported that housing costs also contributed heavily, rising 2.8%, mainly due to higher home rental prices and an increase in the cost of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), which jumped by $8.21 per cylinder. Transport costs saw a modest rise of 2%, driven by increased intercity taxi fares and higher international airfare prices.

According to the SIB, some categories saw a decline in prices. The ‘Information and Communication’ sector dropped by 1.5%, primarily due to lower costs for electronics like cellular phones and TVs.

SIB’s report revealed that Belmopan experienced the highest inflation among municipalities, with a sharp 4.5% increase in consumer prices, particularly in food, household goods, and transport services.

SIB reported that despite the year-over-year inflation increase, the month-over-month change from December 2024 to January 2025 was a slight decrease of 0.2%, attributed to lower food prices.

Imports Drop 10.9%, Exports Up 2.1% in January

In January 2025, total imports dropped by 10.9%, down to $242.6 million from $272.2 million in January 2024, according to the Statistical Institute of Belize (SIB). The decrease was driven largely by a sharp decline of $28.5 million in “Machinery and Transport Equipment”—a category that had spiked in 2024.

SIB reported that other categories, including ‘Mineral Fuels and Lubricants’ and ‘Chemical Products,’ also saw reductions, primarily due to lower world fuel prices and decreased fertiliser imports.

There was growth in certain sectors. Imports of ‘Food and Live Animals’ increased by $3.8 million, driven by higher demand for orange concentrate and groceries. The ‘Commercial Free Zones’ also saw a slight rise in imports, mainly for cigarettes and handbags.

On the export front, SIB reported that Belize’s domestic exports in January 2025 totalled $17.1 million, a modest 2.1% increase compared to the previous year. Marine exports, especially lobster products, surged by $2.1 million. Citrus exports also surged, with more than doubling from $0.4 million to $1.1 million, due to favourable prices for orange concentrate.

Despite this, certain export categories, like ‘Other’ exports, faced setbacks, with a $1.8 million drop, mainly due to the absence of cattle and alcoholic beverages. Additionally, banana and sugar exports saw slight declines.

Revere Mayor Demands Transparency in Belize Resort Deaths

Mayor Patrick M. Keefe Jr., the mayor of Revere City, Massachusetts, issued a statement on Tuesday addressing the deaths of the three women found dead in their suite at the Royal Kahal Beach Resort in San Pedro on Saturday morning. He stated, “On behalf of the entire City of Revere, I extend my condolences to their families and loved ones during this time of unimaginable loss.”

The women, Kaoutar Naqqad, 23, Imane Mallah, 24, and Wafae El-Arar, 26, “were valued members of the Revere community,” he stated. “The information we have received thus far… leaves our grieving community with too many questions.”

Mayor Keefe Jr. added, “I have heard widespread concern from the families and community members about the lack of transparency in this investigation and the media narrative painted by Belizean authorities.” He went on to outline the Travel Avisory that the United States had labelled Belize with in December 2024, where it advised travellers to “exercise increased caution in Belize due to crime.”

The initial investigation in Belize revealed that the police are looking into a possible drug overdose after finding alcohol and gummies among the belongings of the women. “We’re not saying at this time that the gummies cause death, but we’re looking at every possibility,” said Chester Williams, the Commissioner of Police. The results of a postmortem examination is still pending.

Meanwhile, Mayor Keefe confirmed he has been in contact with federal officials, including Senator Ed Markey and Whip Katherine Clark, and that they will “lockstep to bring answers to these families and their communities.”

“We will exhaust all avenues, both domestic and abroad, to ensure a proper and fair analysis of this case,” he said.

EBC Says Red to All 41 Candidates Under UDP Banner

The Elections and Boundaries Commission (EBC) has decided that the United Democratic Party (UDP) will be allocated the traditional red colour to all 41 candidates nominated on Monday under the UDP banner. This is despite the internal divisions and leadership disputes that have been unfolding for months within the opposition party.

In its announcement, the EBC provided three options to consider: assigning red to all candidates, assigning it to only the 25 listed by Shyne Barrow, or to only the 15 nominated by Tracy Panton.

According to the EBC, after a 4-1 vote, it opted for the first choice—assigning red to all candidates under the UDP name. “By a majority vote of 4-1, the EBC voted on option 1, which is to allocate the traditional UDP red to all 41 candidates applying under the UDP banner,” it said.

On Tuesday, before the EBC issued its decision, Moses “Shyne” Barrow wrote to the EBC insisting that only his candidates should be assigned red on the ballot. He warned that if the EBC does not make the right decision, he will take legal action.

Barrow stated, “We are waiting for the official decision of the commission, and then we will proceed with civil action if the decision is not fit. The Election and Boundaries has no right to recognise anybody who claims to be a UDP when we have sent them an official list of who the UDP are when all that will do is cause confusion in the constituencies where we have competing claims.”

90 Nominated Candidates to Be Seen on General Election Ballot

This has been updated with the Election and Boundaries Commission’s latest press release.

This has been updated with the Elections and Boundaries Commission’s (EBC) latest press release

Nomination took place on Monday, and hundreds of Belizeans rallied with their political party’s colour on their sleeves. Nomination Day is a major part of the election process—it marks the official beginning of the lead-up to the March 12 general election.

Candidates from the major political parties, including the People’s United Party (PUP) and United Democratic Party (UDP), were out in full force. Third parties and independent candidates also joined the excitement, though some struggled to gather the six people needed for their nominations.

According to the Election and Boundaries Department (EBC), a total of 90 nominations were received, with 31 from the PUP and 41 from the UDP.

Fort George Area Representative Henry Charles Usher and Pickstock Area Representative Anthony Mahler were declared winners without contest after their opponents failed to show up for nomination.

Usher saw his challenger, Melvin Hewlett, absent from the event, while Mahler secured another term after his opponent, Dean Samuels, did not appear for his nomination. Both Hewlett and Samuels were contenders running for UDP under the leadership of Moses “Shyne” Barrow.

The EBC confirmed the results, stating, “The Returning Officers for the Pickstock and Fort George Electoral Divisions respectively declared Mr. Anthony Mahler and Mr. Henry Charles Usher to have been duly elected since, at 4:00 p.m. on nomination day.”

Frik De Meyere Released After Police Questioning

Boris Mannsfeld’s former associate, Frik De Meyere, has been released from police custody. De Meyere was picked up by police for questioning in connection with Mannsfeld’s murder case. This was confirmed by Police Commissioner Chester Williams on Monday.

Though De Meyere has been released, his phone, computer, and firearm remain in police hands as authorities continue their investigation.

Mannsfeld was shot in the back of the neck at his Placencia villa on February 21. Authorities believe the attack was targeted, though the motive remains unclear. He had been embroiled in several high-profile legal disputes. Mannsfeld had accused former associate Frik De Meyere of fraud, including the misappropriation of funds, which led to several lawsuits.

De Meyere’s attorney, Andrew Bennett, said, “We have provided a defence on behalf of Mr. De Meyere… but unfortunately, they have not really moved from pleadings.” In one lawsuit, an application was made to appoint an expert auditor, Cedric Flowers, but Bennett added, “As of today, that did not move anywhere.” The legal battles remain stalled.

De Meyere had severed ties with Mannsfeld in 2023, and in one of Mannsfeld’s controversial emails, he accused De Meyere and others of being involved in a land fraud scheme that allegedly involved bribing officials and creating fake passports. While the police have not confirmed these claims, Commissioner Chester Williams stated that their investigation is ongoing.

Williams stated that for a proper investigation to begin, official complaints are required. “If it were that there were passports that were fraudulently issued, then immigration would have come to the police and lodged a complaint,” he said. Regarding the stamp duty fraud, Williams added, “We would need to get a complaint from the Ministry of Natural Resources stamp duty division or section on that matter so that we would be able to investigate.”

The potential motives for Mannsfeld’s murder are still under investigation.