Inside the Deal: Guzman’s $70K Ministry Role Uncovered

Tonight, we’re pulling back the curtain on a government contract that’s raising questions and eyebrows. Just weeks before the last general election, a high-level appointment was quietly signed off, one that gives a retired top cop a powerful new role inside the Ministry of Home Affairs and New Growth Industries. Thanks to a Freedom of Information request by News Five, we now have the documents, and the details, on what Special Advisor Aaron Guzman is being paid, what he’s expected to do, and why this deal could’ve been a legal headache if the election had gone the other way. Paul Lopez has the full story.

 

Paul Lopez, Reporting

Thanks to a Freedom of Information request made by News Five, we now have a clearer picture of the role and rewards of Special Advisor Aaron Guzman at the Ministry of Home Affairs and New Growth Industries. Minister Kareem Musa has handed over the official documents: Guzman’s contract and the agreement that gives him access to ministry vehicles. The timing? That’s what’s interesting. The contract was signed on February nineteenth, 2025, just weeks before the March twelfth general election. If the government had changed hands, this deal could’ve sparked some serious legal questions. But that didn’t happen. So, what’s in the deal? Guzman, the retired Deputy Commissioner of Police, is being paid seventy thousand and forty-four dollars for a one-year term. On top of that, he gets access to ministry vehicles and a government-paid SIM card. And when the year’s up? He’s entitled to a gratuity of twenty percent; that’s an extra fourteen thousand dollars.

 

But what exactly is he being paid to do? According to the contract, Guzman is expected to provide “expert advice” and “strategic guidance” to both Minister Musa and CEO Sharole Carr. His portfolio includes everything from law enforcement and public safety to the development of new growth industries. That means analyzing trends, researching best practices, recommending strategies, and helping shape policies that could impact national security and economic development. It’s a tall order and it raises a few questions.

 

Is the Ministry leaning too heavily on one advisor to steer the ship on such critical issues? And where does that leave the Commissioner of Police, Dr. Richard Rosado, in all of this? What role does he play in shaping the future of law enforcement? Now, about those ministry vehicles, Guzman wasn’t assigned a specific one. Instead, he has access to any available vehicle in the ministry’s fleet, strictly for official duties. So, at face value, Aaron Guzman isn’t just a special advisor, he’s become a central figure in shaping policy for law enforcement, public safety, and economic innovation in Belize. And when we asked Minister Musa back in June why CEO Sharole Carr couldn’t take on these responsibilities herself, here’s what he had to say…

 

Kareem Musa, Minister of Home Affairs  (File: June 27, 2025)

“This is not a cronies contract. You are talking about somebody with institutional experience and knowledge as a deputy commissioner of police. And as the deputy prime minister mentioned today, the act of governance no doubt today requires all hands on deck. None of you are asking how you get the results each year you do, that we stand fourteen murders less than last year. Nobody is looking at that and I am not saying that all of that is attributed to Mr. Guzman. I am saying that there are several pieces to this puzzle starting with the officers of this department have been doing a phenomenal job in terms of the training that they’ve been getting in terms of the LIU intervention and all these programs implemented and the way crimes have evolved so much. We are not talking about just gang violence and domestic violence. We are talking about cyber security. We are talking about our ministry is being asked and tasked to look at animal welfare, if you remember the issue with the horse. So there is a lot of policies and strategies that somebody like Mr. Guzman can offer his advice to the ministry, not the CEO. Because, you ran with that like he is some special advisor to the CEO. I think it was you that said that. It is not just to the CEO, it is the entire ministry that he assist in terms of the policies, programs and strategies.”

 

News Five will be keeping a close eye on the impact of Aaron Guzman’s work as special advisor, and whether his strategies truly move the needle at the Ministry of Home Affairs and New Growth Industries. Reporting for News Five, I am Paul Lopez.