U.S. Lawmaker Takes Stake Bank Dispute to Secretary of State Marco Rubio

A senior US lawmaker is pressing the State Department to review concerns about Belize’s rule of law and investment climate, particularly disputes involving land ownership and foreign investors.

Brian J. Mast, chairman of the United States House Foreign Affairs Committee, recently sent a letter to Secretary of State Marco Rubio requesting an official assessment of how investor disputes in Belize could affect American businesses and US strategic interests. “Belize’s investment climate warrants particular attention.” Mast wrote.

While acknowledging Belize as an ally and democracy, Mast said investors have raised concerns about “undue influence by politically powerful stakeholders and corruption as impediments to doing business in Belize”.

He pointed directly to the Stake Bank Island cruise port project, where ownership claims and compulsory acquisition proceedings have dragged on for years. Mast also described other governance gaps, noting that the Auditor General’s report on government spending is delayed, parliamentary reviews are “years behind schedule”, and the courts remain under‑resourced, leading to backlogs and frequent adjournments.

Mast asked the State Department to determine whether these disputes pose risks to American investors and signal deeper problems in Belize’s legal and business environment. “The United States has a direct interest in a stable, well‑governed Belize,” he stated.

He also raised a geopolitical concern, warning that governance problems could open the door for China to expand its influence. Belize is one of the few countries that still recognises Taiwan, and Mast cautioned that weaknesses in rule of law could make Belize vulnerable.

The Feinstein family, original developers of Stake Bank, welcomed Mast’s intervention. In a statement, they said the letter “directly rebuts recent public attempts to dismiss or minimise concerns about the treatment of Stake Bank Islands and… is now a matter of U.S. congressional oversight and foreign policy, not just a private dispute.” 

Melita Feinstein added, “The Prime Minister may choose to downplay or dismiss questions about Stake Bank Island in public, but the United States Congress plainly does not.”