While a conviction was secured in the High Court this morning, a murder suspect also managed to walk away from a charge that was brought against him in November 2019. Denver Bevans was accused of the shooting death of a Belize City fireman who was ambushed and executed while walking along Welch Street. The first person to respond to the scene of the deadly shooting was Corporal Briceño Chub, an off-duty police officer, who was returning from a nearby shop. After hearing what sounded like gunshots, he saw someone running. He later identified that individual as eighteen-year-old Denver Bevans. In trial, Corporal Chub told the court that when he initially saw Bevans, he was seventy-five feet away, but when he saw him with the firearm which he held up before scaling a fence, he was only fifteen feet away. Nonetheless, when Chub testified to seeing the suspect at Rogers Stadium after he was detained by police and placed in the back of a pickup truck, he only saw the top of the individual’s head. In court, Chub was unable to identify the man seen running in the footage to be the same person detained by police. This and other factors, including the absence of a D.N.A. test to determine the blood found on Bevans’ shirt, led the court to find Bevans not guilty of murder.
Category: Breaking News
Man Fears to Walk the Streets Amidst S.O.E.
It’s been two days since the government of Belize enacted another state of emergency and the Belize Police Department has issued wanted posters for nearly fifty men wanted under the S.O.E. Under an S.O.E., police officers conduct house raids, make arrest and detain individuals in areas that are known for gang activity. The department hopes that carrying out an S.O.E. will abate the number of gang-related crimes, that have been on the rise in the past two weeks. However, as police continue to make sweeps across southside Belize, residents are coming forward, claiming that they nor their loved ones should be included in the dragnet. Earlier today, we spoke with Alrick Lamb, who has been charged with being a member of a gang. He says that since the S.O.E. was declared on Tuesday, he has been fearful to walk the streets. On Wednesday, his brother Kurtis Lamb was detained, and he knows that police are also seeking him.
Voice of: Alrick Lamb, Wanted Under S.O.E.
“Weh mek I call unu fi mek I speak with unu today because I tired ah the harassment. Literally, I get harassed twenty-four and more. I neem feel safe to walk with my son on the street anymore, because everywhere we go. We there at Civic Center, we try to go free fi we mind at the beach, anywhere we go, police come and harass we. Da like we da neem fah Belize, we da neem citizen ah Belize City on a whole, None at all. The way how they treat we. Fih seh reason, I noh know, because dah no like we de out deh dih do anything bad or anything out of the way of harm people or anything like that. I, right now I fi go da work and I can’t even move because they post my picture on Facebook. If I could ah mi change weh paat I grow up, I would, because I noh want the harassment from police, but da noh like if I could go anywhere else. I noh got no next move to make any move to go anywhere else like that. But back ya I born and grow, so da back here I from, da back here I stay. Check my house, da right back here, so da back here I born and grow I don’t got nowhere else where I could go, if I could have gone somewhere else, I done gone because I tired of the police harassment.”
Early Threat of First 2024 Hurricane to Caribbean
AccuWeather is reporting that early activity in the tropical Atlantic suggests the potential formation of a tropical storm or hurricane, posing a threat to the Caribbean. A narrow plume of moisture extending from the south-central Atlantic to the Caribbean Sea could aid in the system’s development and intensification.
AccuWeather began labeling this system as a tropical rainstorm on Thursday to heighten awareness of its potential hazards to life and property.
Forecasters anticipate the system to strengthen to at least tropical storm intensity as it nears the Windward Islands, likely bringing squally rains, gusty thunderstorms, and rough seas as early as Sunday. There’s a possibility it could reach Category 1 hurricane status (sustained winds of 74-95 mph) upon approaching the Windward Islands.
The next name on the 2024 tropical storm list is Beryl.
Depending on steering currents, the system may track westward across Central America next week or turn northwestward towards the western Gulf of Mexico by the following weekend, potentially threatening the United States.
In another part of the Atlantic, a separate tropical wave is approaching Central America, with a moderate chance of developing into a tropical depression before moving into east-central Mexico on Sunday.
If another system develops in the coming days or weeks, it would be named Chris, according to the 2024 tropical storm list.
Communities in Toledo Launch Emergency Relief Efforts Against Drought and Fires
Local organizations in the Toledo District have launched a relief and restoration initiative against the severe drought and rampant forest fires near the communities. As a result, communities in the Toledo District have suffered devastating losses. A statement issued on Wednesday by the Julian Cho Society, Toledo Alcaldes Association, and Maya Leaders Alliance stated, “Thousands of acres of forests and wildlife have been destroyed in this inferno. The devastation is insurmountable, beyond anything we have seen before.”
Despite efforts from communities and partners to contain fires, many were uncontrollable due to the severity of the conditions. According to the press statement, this prompted organizations like the Julian Cho Society, Toledo Alcaldes Association, Maya Leaders Alliance and its partners to “launch a forest fire relief, restoration, and prevention initiative.”
This initiative includes distributing food supplies to aid three hundred and seventy-two families from thirty-two villages and distributing seeds for replanting damaged crops. The initiative plans to continue supporting farmers in restoring their agroforestry farms and replanting forests.
DFC Embraces Equity Financing with Royal Mayan Shrimp Farm
On Wednesday, The Development Finance Corporation (DFC) held a ceremony in Belmopan to celebrate the signing of the Letter of Loan Offer with Royal Mayan Shrimp Farm Ltd. At the event, Raineldo Guerrero, chairman of the DFC, said “We’re celebrating because for the first time, the Development Finance Corporation has taken on equity financing as a major part of his portfolio. But what’s important is the significance of the steps that we have taken, both in the case of Royal Mayan Shrimp Farm and the development finance, that it wasn’t a simple process, it was a journey.”
Managing Director of Royal Mayan Shrimp Farm Ltd., Alvin Henderson said, “we’re very grateful for DFC’s partnership in this. I mean, we’re in a developing country. We’re not in a place where one accesses easily R&D. So many times the Research and Development is actually done with borrowed funds, and this is what makes it quite challenging. But in the case of DFC, they stood by us as we ran these important trials over the last two years in the field and that became very critical because the trials we have in the field, which is the basis of the investment that’s being made now, have been stellar.”
This partnership “comes out of the DFC’s new investment policy that we adopted or the board adopted as part of moving towards Green Climate accreditation. Green Climate Fund accreditation,” said General Manager of DFC, Henry Anderson.
Opposition Members Protest House Sitting Scheduled in Deviation of 5-Day Notice Protocol
The Opposition Members of the House have written a formal protest against the regular Sitting of the House scheduled for tomorrow. The Opposition says that tomorrow’s Sitting of the House deviates from the established protocol of providing five clear days’ notice.
In their letter to House Speaker, Valerie Woods, Opposition Members said, “Failure for this Honorable House to follow the 5-day notice protocol
disenfranchises the Opposition obstructing our ability to satisfy the required 5-day notice as per Standing Order 19(3) for the extremely crucial Questions to Ministers.”
The letter says that ” Questions to Ministers are one of the limited tools the Opposition has to compel the Government to answer to the people of Belize.”
The Opposition points out that there has been no emergency cited that justifies “such material breach of protocol that consequently infringes on the Opposition privileges in the House.” They assert that, in the event of an emergency, the Executive should have requested a Special Sitting of the House from the Speaker, thus avoiding any deprivation of the Opposition’s rights and responsibilities to hold the Government to account as provided by Standing Order 19(3).
The Opposition also criticises the Executive for repeatedly presenting bills and motions either the day before or on the day of House Sittings. They request that the House Sitting be rescheduled for July 5, 2024, in adherence to established protocols and Standing Orders, to enable the Opposition to fulfil its essential role in sustaining a strong democracy.
Millennium Challenge Corporation Awards $125M to Belize for Education and Energy Initiatives
The Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) has approved a US$125 million grant aimed at tackling key challenges in the education and energy sectors over the next five years in Belize.
The MCC – Belize Compact grant agreement was finalised following negotiations between the government and MCC officials in Washington, D.C. On Wednesday, the government issued a press release, stating that under the compact, Belize will focus on two main projects: education and energy.
The Education Project aims to transform teaching methods, expand access to secondary education, and bolster technical and vocational education and training (TVET) programmes to meet labour market demands.
The Energy Project seeks to lower electricity expenses through new renewable energy agreements, modernise the energy grid, and refine policies to support efficient energy use.
The compact’s implementation will be overseen by the Millennium Challenge Account-Belize Authority (MCA-Belize Authority), ensuring transparency and accountability in project execution. Formal signing of the agreement is expected later this year, with initiatives to commence in 2025.
GOB Ordered to Pay $10 Million to Primrose Gabourel in Compensation for Compulsory Land Acquisition
On Wednesday, June 26, the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) set aside a Belize Court of Appeal decision to directly assess compensation for land that was compulsorily acquired by the Government of Belize (GoB) from Primrose Gabourel.
As previously reported, on December 13, 2019, Gabourel filed a claim for damages due to the breach of her constitutional right against unlawful property deprivation in Belize. A High Court judge ordered full and fair compensation for the various claims. After mediation failed, the assessment continued in the High Court.
The High Court rejected Gabourel’s valuation, instead accepting the Government’s valuation of BZ$1,050,000 for the land. The judge awarded BZ$150,000 as nominal damages and BZ$300,000 for lost landfill, including interest and costs to the claimant.
Gabourel appealed to the Court of Appeal, which, by majority decision, overturned the High Court’s acceptance of the Government’s valuation and ordered a reassessment in the High Court. The Government subsequently appealed to the CCJ.
Justice Denys Barrow, delivering the judgment, stated that Gabourel should receive compensation for the compulsory acquisition of her land, reflecting its value at the acquisition date. The court highlighted that the lower courts had neglected the land’s development potential and its importance in credible land valuation.
Barrow further stated, “the appropriate remedy for a constitutional action for damages for compulsorily acquired land should be mandamus to the Minister to appoint a board of assessment. For the reasons given above, the appeal was dismissed. The decision of the Court of Appeal to order a remission to the High Court of the assessment of compensation was set aside and the respondent was awarded compensation in the sum of $4,545,325 with interest from 3 February 2007 at a rate of 6% per annum until the date of this judgment and thereafter at the statutory judgment rate of 6% per annum.”
Earl Baptist Found Guilty of Businessman’s 2022 Murder; Sentencing Set for July
High Court Justice Derick Sylvester found Earl Baptist guilty of the 2022 shooting murder of thirty-two-year-old Leslie Norman Gillett. Gillett, a businessman, was executed inside his establishment, Matilda’s Shop, in Burrell Boom Village on January 21, 2022.
The Crown presented video footage showing the murder and a police witness who identified one of the two shooters as Earl Baptist, despite his wearing a COVID-19 face mask and stockings over his head. The second shooter was never identified or charged, but during the trial, the police witness indicated a belief about the possible identity of the second shooter, who had recently been killed.
Baptist provided an alibi in an unsworn testimony from the dock, claiming he was with his father and common-law wife, but he did not call anyone to testify on his behalf. Justice Sylvester will hear a mitigation plea on July 15, 2024, before issuing a sentence.
Belize Condemns Coup Attempt in Bolivia
Belize strongly condemns the recent coup attempt in Bolivia. “We call for full respect of democratic governance and rule of law. Belize stands in solidarity with the Government and people of Bolivia,” the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said.
Bolivian general Juan Jose Zúñiga was arrested after leading an attempt to storm the presidential palace in La Paz. This action, which included military units and armoured vehicles, was swiftly confronted by President Luis Arce, who called for the general to stand down. Following Zúñiga’s arrest, President Arce declared the government’s restoration of full control over the military.
Bolivia’s historical political instability has been marked by numerous coup attempts. It occurs amid a severe economic crisis and public unrest, further complicating the country’s challenges. The Bolivian government, supported by international condemnation, has initiated a criminal investigation into the coup attempt and its participants.
Prior to his detention, Zúñiga addressed reporters in the square, flanked by soldiers, saying, “We want to restore democracy,” as he spoke of the country’s economic woes. He had earlier been dismissed, reportedly for threatening to block a bid by Morales for reelection.
“The people have no future, and the army has the courage to look out for the future of our children, the well-being and progress of our people,” he said. He vowed “to free all political prisoners,” including former president Jeanine Anez, currently imprisoned for what the courts said was her role in deadly protests that erupted after her ascension to power in 2019.