News 5 Pushes for Transparency in Guzman Appointment

Last night, we told you about our visit to the Ministry of Public Service in Belmopan to hand-deliver a Freedom of Information request. But that wasn’t our only stop. While in Belmopan, we also made our way to the Ministry of Home Affairs headquarters on Constitution Drive. Why? Because we’re still waiting on a promise made by Minister Kareem Musa, a promise to provide a copy of the contract for retired police officer Aaron Guzman, who’s now serving as an advisor to the ministry. Guzman reportedly earns a seventy-thousand-dollar annual salary and has been assigned a government vehicle. But the exact terms of that contract? Still a mystery. And the specifications of that vehicle? Also unknown. Let’s be clear, this isn’t about Aaron Guzman. It’s about transparency. It’s about accountability. And it’s about your right to know how public funds are being spent. Paul Lopez has the following story.

 

Paul Lopez, Reporting

He’s a familiar name in law enforcement circles, Aaron Guzman, the former Deputy Commissioner of Police who retired just last year after a long and distinguished career. There’s no doubt he’s got the experience. But tonight, we’re asking: why was he brought out of retirement? The Ministry of Home Affairs has hired Guzman as an advisor, reportedly with a seventy-thousand-dollar annual salary and a government-issued vehicle. But what exactly is his role? And why was this appointment necessary? When first questioned about the arrangement, Minister Kareem Musa said Guzman was advising the ministry’s CEO. But beyond that, the details remain murky.

 

File: June 25, 2025

Kareem Musa, Minister of Home Affairs

“It is not anything new. These government contracts exist in all ministries. Obviously, the CEO comes from an administrative background, not a policing background. So having the type of advice and council from a senior like Aaron Guzman has been very valuable to the ministry and valuable to the CEO in the conduct of her duties.”

 

 

 

The minister says, ‘Hey, these kinds of contracts? They’re nothing new, they exist across all ministries.’ But hold on, not everyone’s on the same page. His own Cabinet colleague, Minister of Natural Resources Cordel Hyde, is pushing back, saying his CEO doesn’t have an advisor at all. 

 

File: June 26^, 2025

Paul Lopez

“Sir does your CEO has a special advisor that is getting seventy thousand annually?”

 

Cordel Hyde, Minister of Natural Resources

“No, don’t give him any ideas, no.”

 

 

 

 

Paul Lopez

“As a senior politician, why would a CEO need an advisor if they are being placed in such an authoritative role?”

 

Cordel Hyde

“I don’t know, I cannot speak to that. I have never been a CEO. But what I can say is that the job of governance is much different than when I was first around twenty-five years ago. It is heavy lifting, a lot of work. But I can’t speak that.”

 

But, only a day later, we spoke with Minister Musa again and this time he clarified that Guzman was hired as an advisor to the entire ministry, not just the CEO. He even offered to provide News Five with the contract.

 

 

 

File: June 27, 2025

Kareem Musa, Minister of Home Affairs

“I know the media has run with this as any sort of new scandal. But anyone can tell you that Mr. Guzman is not a crony of mine. This is not a crony’s contract. You are talking about somebody with institutional experience and knowledge. And I will share the contract with you Paul, because you want to see it. But it is to the ministry, not the CEO. So please stop going with that narrative.”

 

 

So, where’s the contract Minister Musa promised to share with News 5? Despite several follow-ups, we’ve received nothing. On Tuesday, in the name of transparency, we filed an official freedom of information request. We’re not just asking for the contract’s terms but also details about the vehicle given to Guzman, including what kind it is and how much it cost taxpayers, if anything.

 

Paul Lopez

“We are here at the Ministry of Home Affairs compound in Belmopan City to deliver a FOIA request to the minister of Home Affairs, Kareem Musa. HE too we have been asking for the advisory contract for Aaron Guzman, retired Deputy Commissioner of Police. He has committed to providing us with that contract but we are yet to receive it. We tried to reach out to him on several occasion. Thankfully, the law affords us an avenue through FOIA, to make such request to get access to document that should be public records. So we are going to deliver this and he like the minister of public service has two weeks to give a response.”

 

 

Our request was hand-delivered, and we signed off on the delivery. So, now the clock is ticking, and hopefully we can get some answers very soon. Reporting for News Five, I am Paul Lopez.