Defense Scandal Exposes Secrecy Behind Public Contracts

Tonight, as the Ministry of Defense procurement scandal continues to unfold, another troubling question has emerged: who is actually behind the companies receiving public funds? Investigators have uncovered a network of firms linked to the controversy. But tracking down their true owners is not as easy as it should be. A search of Belize’s online companies’ registry reveals only limited registration information, while key ownership details remain out of public view. It is a serious problem. When taxpayer money is involved, the public has a right to know who is benefiting. Instead, journalists and concerned citizens are being forced to rely on leaked documents to connect the dots. That has renewed concerns that Belize’s corporate registry system is not promoting accountability, but standing in the way of it. News Five’s Paul Lopez has the story.

 

Paul Lopez, Reporting

“So a lot of companies have been in this Mira Millions and Ministry of Defense procurement scandal and a lot if not all that we know about who owns these companies are leaked documents. So, is this information readily available and if not why? Critics argue that since these companies are collecting through public finances, then its only right that the public gets full access to who owns these companies. So today we are on the Belize Companies and Corporate Affairs Registry website. And there is an option for you to find out more about a business. So, let’s take for example, open of the latest business that has surfaced in the scandal. It is RSL Group. We will see what we can find about RSL Group on the BCCAR website. So what shows up is that RSL Group Limited was registered in October of 2025 as a private company and it remains active. When you try to click on it, there are no other information made available. So we can’t find out from the website who are the proprietors of this company.”

 

News Five also searched for several other companies linked to the wider inquiry, including Kukulcan Company Limited, which was registered in March 2021. But beyond basic registration information, the trail went cold. With ownership details still out of public view, we reached out to the Companies Registry to find out where, if anywhere, citizens can access information on the people who actually own these companies.

 

Paul Lopez

“I have a question about getting access to information on the proprietors of certain companies. How can I get access to that information, can I do it online?”

 

On the Phone: BCCAR Representative

“You would need to send an email to inquiries.”

 

Paul Lopez

“What would I put in that email?”

 

On the Phone: BCCAR Representative

“The information you are requesting and if we can provide it to you then we will, if not we will give you further guidance and where to apply for the information.”

 

Paul Lopez

“But on the website itself, I would not be able to access that sort of information?”

 

On the Phone: BCCAR Representative

“No sir.”

 

With no ownership information available online, News Five wrote to BCCAR and asked the registry to release the names of the proprietors of these companies, in the spirit of transparency. But this lack of access is not new. In late 2022, the Government of Belize merged the local companies’ registry with the International Business Companies registry. While that transition moved company records online, it also removed public and media access to critical information, including beneficial ownership and director details. Journalists raised concerns almost immediately. XTV News Director Marisol Amaya was among those who sounded the alarm, calling the decision a deliberate move to shroud the system in secrecy.

 

Marisol Amaya, News Director, Krem News (File: Dec 9, 2022)

“Whereas before we could go into, simply walk into the companies registry in Belmopan.  I don’t recall having to pay. That was completely free. I had access to all the folders I could see, whether it was one folder or four, for any particular company. We had access to whatever information was in those folder and that information traces and tracks all the changes in directorship and shareholders and that information is also necessary for us to know and have access to.”

 

Now, those warnings appear to have been justified. With the Ministry of Defense procurement scandal growing, journalists and citizens are left piecing together the facts from leaked information, instead of official records. For critics, it is another sign that the registry system is shielding key details from public view. Reporting for News Five, I am Paul Lopez.

 

Attention readers: This online newscast is a direct transcript of our evening television broadcast. When speakers use Kriol, we have carefully rendered their words using a standard spelling system.

 

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