BTB Loses Again: Over $1M in Payouts for Terminated Contracts

The Belize Tourism Board (BTB) has faced two more courtroom defeats over terminated contracts issued under the former government, with over a million dollars now awarded to former executives.

Last week, the Supreme Court ruled in favour of Norman Young, BTB’s former IT head, awarding him more than $230,000 in compensation after finding his fixed-term contract was improperly terminated.

Meanwhile, the Court of Appeal upheld a previous judgement in favour of former Director of Tourism, Karen Bevans, confirming that she is owed nearly $770,000.

These rulings bring the total number of successful claims against the BTB to four, all involving contracts issued before or during the 2020 election year. Bevans’ case mirrors that of Misty Michael, the BTB’s former Director of Marketing, who was awarded $217,000 in 2023 after the court ruled her dismissal was unjustified. In both cases, the courts rejected BTB’s arguments that the contracts lacked proper approval, finding instead that senior officials who signed them had the apparent authority to do so.

BTB’s attorney intends to appeal the matter to the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ). BTB maintains that the contracts, many of which were signed shortly before the 2020 elections, never received full board vetting and should not be binding.