2024 - Channel 5 Belize

Belize and Panama Launch Joint Cooperation Commission to Strengthen Bilateral Ties

The first meeting of the Joint Cooperation Commission between Belize and Panama for the 2024–2026 bilateral programme was co-chaired by the CEO of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, Amalia Mai, and Panama’s Vice Minister of Multilateral Affairs and Cooperation, Yill Otero.

The session was held at Padre Guardia Jaén Hall in the Bolívar Palace, Panama City.

Both leaders highlighted the significance of enhancing friendship and bilateral cooperation through the new cooperation program. This initiative promotes the exchange of knowledge, best practices, and experiences, with the goal of strengthening institutions and improving the quality of life for citizens in both countries.

The Bilateral Cooperation Program 2024-2026 includes projects focused on tourism, special education, language exchange, environmental protection, and disability inclusion.

Belizean Saves Driver Seconds Before Fuel Tanker Explosion in the US

Two individuals were hospitalised following a dramatic rescue and subsequent fuel tanker explosion that caused the closure of all southbound lanes of the North Freeway near Tidwell Road for over twenty hours.

Houston police reported that a speeding vehicle collided with an 18-wheeler transporting fuel, causing the tanker to fishtail and overturn at approximately 10 p.m. on Saturday.Belizean Armin Franco, present in a neighbour’s yard a block away, heard the collision and immediately rushed to assist, accompanied by two other strangers. The truck was still in motion when they arrived at the scene.

Franco, along with the other good Samaritans, discovered the car’s driver bloodied, unconscious, and trapped.

Just seconds after extricating him from the wreckage, the tanker exploded, propelling the rescuers backward with its force.

Houston Police stated that the driver rescued by Franco remained in critical condition on Sunday.

“Maybe one day it could happen to me. That’s why I ran to help the guy,” Franco explained.

https://www.tiktok.com/@news5belize/video/7376378124004494598?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=pc&web_id=7363682428676900357

David Gegg Rectifies Statements Made in Error

Portico Enterprises Limited CEO David Gegg has written to the Clerk of the National Assembly, Eddie Webster, rectifying statements made.

Gegg appeared before the Senate Special Select Committee on May 21 in Belmopan, where committee members asked him about the Portico “Definative Agreement.”.

In the letter, Gegg tells Webster, “After revisiting my records and my testimony, I recognised that the following statements were made in error.” Gegg says that while he sent an email to a personal email, which he believed to be for Tourism Minister Anthony Mahler, he “did not attach the Definitive Agreement. I also note that at no point was the agreement delivered to him.”

*David Gegg’s letter to Cleak of the NA Eddie Webster*

Gegg also clarified that he also sent it to an incorrect email from Prime Minister John Briceño. “I note however that the email I sent it to was to a jbreceno as opposed to jbriceno and as such it would not have reached the Prime Minster.”

“I apologize for the errors and trust that the record will be amended accordingly.”

Commission of Inquiry on Belize Sugar Industry Holds First Meeting

The Sugar Industry Commission of Inquiry held its inaugural meeting on Wednesday, May 29. The meeting was held virtually.

A government press release says it had the participation of Wayne Piper, Chairman, and the five commissioners: Robert Mariette and Vinod Ramharai from Mauritius, Jeffery Joseph from Belize, Andy Church from South Africa, and Simon Gibbons from the United Kingdom. Also in attendance were Lorena Posada, Secretary to the Commission; Hugh O’Brien, Lead Coordinator for the Government of Belize; Marcos Osorio, Chairman of the Sugar Industry Control Board (SICB); and Krity Neermul, Technical Coordinator for the Mauritius team.

According to the government, the meeting focused on discussing and agreeing upon the general plan for the first phase of work, along with associated logistics. This phase will include visits to the mills at BSI and Santander, as well as farm and field trips to sugar production sites in northern and western Belize. Commissioners are scheduled to begin arriving in Belize during the first week of June, with logistical support provided by the SICB.

This commission aims to examine the entire value chain of the sugar cane industry and provide recommendations to the Government of Belize.

The commissioners aim to complete their report(s) by the deadline of November 30, 2024.

Claudia Sheinbaum Makes History as Mexico’s First Female President

Claudia Sheinbaum achieved a historic, landslide victory. On Sunday, June 2, preliminary figures show the left-wing Morena party candidate secured nearly 60% of the vote, compared to almost 30% for her right-wing opponent, Xochitl Galvez. Sheinbaum’s win is even more decisive than that of her predecessor, current Mexican president Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador (AMLO), in 2018.

Standing before a Mexican flag, Sheinbaum, who will become Mexico’s first female president, reiterated a frequent message on Sunday night: “I’m not coming here alone, but with all Mexican women.” In the Zocalo, the country’s largest public square, her supporters, who had been gathered for hours, celebrated joyfully. During her campaign, Sheinbaum appeared more relaxed than she had in the past, but her aides affirm she will govern as she always has: with hard work, rigor, and dedication.

Sheinbaum’s name will be etched in history as Mexico’s first female president, breaking the glass ceiling of 200 years of male leadership.

Several Mennonite Businesspeople Give Statements in Land Fraud Investigation

Doris Grant will have her day in court to answer to the multitude of charges that have been brought against her. She is accused of defrauding a Mennonite businessperson in land transactions that weren’t worth the paper they were printed on. And today, the Minister of Home Affairs says the file sits on the D.P.P’s desk and that contrary to what has been reported in other media circles, the prime minister is not part of that investigation team. Grant’s Reggae Street home and her farmhouse in Gardenia Village have both been searched by investigators led by D.C.P. Doctor Richard Rosado but have turned up nothing incriminating. This week, Grant informed News Five that police took a chest with her diabetes medication and took pictures of documents she has for her car and receipts for building supplies and returned them to her. Today, Musa told reporters that witnesses from the Mennonite community have given police statements as part of the investigation.

Kareem Musa, Minister of Home Affairs

“I have been informed that there was an investigation being carried out into an alleged land fraud, as you rightly mentioned. I think it is over the course of the last month or so that an investigation has been carried out. I am told that several witnesses from the Mennonite community have provided statements. And so that entire file, I am told, has been turned over to the D.P.P.’s office.

Reporter

“Any reasoning why I believe Ms. Grant’s home has been searched twice and for the second time it was searched for five hours?”

Kareem Musa

“I am not certain. That is a matter for the investigative team as that investigation is still ongoing. And so looking for evidence, I’m sure is one of the reasons behind searches of that nature. And so I would think that is the reason why, you know, if at all, the prime minister is involved at any level in this investigation. Absolutely not. No, that is being carried out by the Belize Police Department. Not by the prime minister as I believe someone was trying to suggest that is not the case.”

Police and Lands Dept. to Work Closer on Land Fraud Cases

Commissioner of Police Chester Williams has also chimed in on the Doris Grant matter. This afternoon, he told reporters that the police department and the Ministry of Natural Resources need to work closely in investigating and arresting perpetrators of land fraud.

Reporter

“Sir, in relation to Doris Grant and the land fraud, this is the third, I would say, big land case that we are seeing in recent times. We had Ricardo Borja who was killed, we had Dalla Coin who was killed. They were both in land dealings, and now we have Doris Grant in this land fraud. Is land fraud now something that police are keeping a closer eye on?”

Chester Williams

“Well certainly, we have to look at it more meticulously and there needs to be proper coordination with the Ministry of Natural Resources. I don’t understand how people could falsify documents. Maybe there needs to be something done to make sure that the documents used at the land registry are not easily forged. And again, people who are purchasing land need to make sure that they do their respective due diligence. You can’t just go and buy land from anybody. You can have an agent go to the land registry and do research for you on any piece of land that you may have interest in and they should be able to tell you if that land is available or taken. And likewise, I think that within the Ministry of Natural Resources, I don’t think they have agents that would normally go out and do certain things. So if a person out in the street would tell you that they are an agent of natural resources or they are an agent of this or that, then you need to make sure you do your proper due diligence before you give them your money because at the end of the day then this becomes the issue. So it’s a huge problem for us indeed, but the issue is that many a times it does not come to the police. We only hear of it out there in the greater public and only a few of them would normally come to the police.”

PM Says Doris Grant Being Investigated Over Land Fraud Allegations

Prime Minister John Briceño says he is aware of an ongoing police investigation into Doris Grant. On Thursday, P.M. Briceño told reporters that Grant allegedly promised to sell a group of Mennonites some land and received a significant sum of money from them. But, according to the allegation, she never delivered on her end of the bargain. P.M. Briceño did not go into the details because the matter is expected to be forwarded to the Office of the Director of Public Prosecution.

Prime Minister John Briceño

“I don’t know much about it. I am told there has been an investigation and it would be going on to the DPP but the little I have heard is that she allegedly sold dreams to these Mennonites for land. They thought that she was legit and now we are finding out that monies have been exchanged but no land, they have not received any land. But that again, we cant comment on it because that will be going to the DPP and certainly to court.”

No Leads or Arrests in Solomon Coleman’s Murder

Thirty-six-year-old Solomon Coleman, a resident of Punta Gorda Town, was shot and killed in Belmopan earlier this week when he was accosted by an unknown gunman. The murder took place as Coleman and his brother were walking along Cemetery Road. Despite reviewing surveillance footage, investigators are no closer to making an arrest since the culprit wore a mask. Here’s more from Commissioner of Police Chester Williams.

Chester Williams, Commissioner of Police

“In Belmopan, that murder is a very complicated one. We are still trying to ascertain exactly what happened. What we know is that the group of persons, family, were drinking in a particular area and they may have left to go and purchase additional alcohol and on the way to do so, they were approached by a vehicle. A lone gunman came out of the vehicle with a shotgun, he and the deceased had a struggle and during the struggle the gun went off and the deceased was shot fatally. We have viewed several surveillance footages in the area and we are still not able to get a good lead because the gunman had on a mask. So at this time we don’t know who the gunman is, but we are still working on it to see what we can get.”

Reporter

“Is the victim, he’s not from Belmopan, right?”

Chester Williams

“He’s originally from Punta Gorda.”

Reporter

“And he was visiting?”

Chester Williams

“I would want to think so, yes.”

Ellis Meighan, Wanted for Murder, Seeks Asylum in the U.S.

Ellis Meighan is wanted in Belize in connection with a murder that took place on the Placencia peninsula several weeks ago. Last week, it was reported that Meighan turned up in the United States and, according to ComPol Chester Williams, the murder suspect is seeking asylum in the U.S. Meighan is wanted for question in relation to the shooting death of Roy Lee Burgess back in April.

Chester Williams, Commisioner of Police

“I think the issue with Ellis Meighan currently is that he is claiming asylum so I think the U.S. will go through that asylum process to see if he would meet the asylum to be granted asylum and if he does not meet the requirement then he will be sent back home. Bear in mind that we have already issued an arrest warrant for him, likewise, his wanted poster is out there. So the U.S. authorities should know that he is wanted in Belize and Interpol Belize is in communication with Interpol in the U.S. to make sure that there is proper coordination.”

Reporter

“How were you able to locate him?”

Chester Williams

“It was not us who located him. As you said, he was found entering the U.S., by the U.S. border patrol agent and so he is in their custody right now, awaiting the process.”