Ministry Defends Massive Vegetable Supply Contract for Oscar Mira’s Sister
Tension is rising in the nation’s capital between former Belmopan Area Representative John Saldivar and the man who replaced him in the National Assembly, Oscar Mira. Saldivar, who served as Minister of National Security and remains the only Belizean designated by the United States as “significantly corrupt,” is now leveling allegations of favoritism and nepotism against the current government. Saldivar took to social media claiming he received a leaked screenshot showing payments made to Oscar Mira’s sister, Jenny Armstrong, for supplying vegetables to the Ministry of Defense. He alleges that many small farmers and suppliers have been sidelined in favor of Mira’s relatives and that more than two million dollars has been paid out for vegetables supplied to government entities, including the Belize Defense Force, Coast Guard and Police Department, since 2020. But Chief Executive Officer in the Ministry of National Defense Francis Usher says the allegations lack important context. According to Usher, when he took office last March, the tendering process for food supplies was already well advanced but officials later discovered several irregularities, including the way bids were submitted. One example is items were advertised by lots, but suppliers were allowed to bid by item. As a result, a decision was made to cancel the tender and restart the entire process. Usher says that while the procurement exercise was being redone, the Belize Defense Force still needed food supplies, including vegetables and those purchases were made from Jenny Armstrong, who is Minister Oscar Mira’s sister. Usher maintains that the purchases were made to meet BDF’s operational needs while the tendering process was being corrected. Usher says the results of the tendering process have been submitted to the Ministry of Finance for approval. Thereafter it goes to the Contractor General.
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