2024 - Channel 5 Belize

Was Consejo Village Murder a Narco-related Execution?

While elements of the Mexican cartels are embedded in parts of northern Belize, the police department says that it is working carefully to weed out these criminals. When asked if the recent murder in Consejo Village last week was the result of drug activity related to the cartels, ComPol Williams could not provide a definitive response.

Chester Williams, Commissioner of Police

“We know that we do have operatives in Belize who are on the side of the cartels. We know that, and I am not going to go into details in terms of our operational strategies, but certainly as a part thereof is to make sure that we target those persons who we believe are operating in Belize for the cartels, and I will leave it at that.”

Reporter

“The murder in Consejo of Johnny Arana, was his death, I think we understand that it’s narco-related, can you confirm this and is it related somehow to any of the situations that are happening in Chetumal right now.”

Chester Williams

“We know that it has a lot to do with the issue of drug distribution in Corozal. We can’t say that it is narco-related. We believe that those persons who executed that murder are from Belize and we are looking for them.”

LPG Companies Now Free to Import Following Court Ruling

There has been a shift in Belize’s liquified petroleum gas landscape yet again. Viewers may recall that back in 2019, the Government of Belize passed the National Liquified Gas Project Act in tandem with the establishment of National Gas Company Limited. Long-established LPG dealers were technically boxed out from the wholesale business and relegated to selling LPG on the retail market. As a result, Gas Tomza Limited, Western Gas Company Limited, Southern Choice Butane and Belize Western Energy Limited took the Government of Belize to court for breach of their constitutional right to property. In 2022, the High Court ordered the government to pay more than ten million dollars in compensation to the companies for damages. But what those companies truly wanted was for the law to be struck out so that they could resume importing LPG. Well, the matter was taken to the Court of Appeals and the four companies were successful in having that aspect of the legislation repealed. The group of companies was represented by four attorneys, including Senior Counsel Godfrey Smith, who spoke with us today about this latest ruling.

Godfrey Smith S.C., Attorney-at-law

“The upshot of the judgement, perhaps three takeaways, one that the National Liquified Petroleum Gas Project Act, passed by the government in 2019 and amended in 2021 has been ruled by the Court of Appeal to be in breach of Gas Tomza and the other gas companies, of their right to property and their right to work. That is two. The third important take away is that requirement in the amendment to the law that says if you want to import LPG into Belize you must have storage facility of a minimum of one point five million U.S gallons to be able to get permission to import LPG. The governments attempted to say well we are not breaching anybody’s rights because you are free providing you build a storage facility of one point five million, clearly the argument was that was impractical, impossible and cant be reached and it effectively stimies your right to work, your right to freely be an importer of LPG and the court upheld that. So, as it stands therefore based on our interpretation of the judgment, Gas Tomza and the other litigants would now be free to build a storage capacity within their economic cost, within their reach that they are able to build and apply for permission to bring in LPG.”

Compensation Sum for LPG Companies Back in High Court for Deliberation

As for the ten-million-dollar compensation for damages awarded to the group of LPG companies, attorney Smith says the Court of Appeal has ordered that the High Court further assesses the sum. And though the LPG companies are free to exercise their right to import, there is no guarantee that they will be able to acquire the necessary permits from the Government of Belize.

Godfrey Smith S.C., Attorney-at-law

“There is also the matter of compensation for the breach of their rights, which the Court of Appeal ordered sent back to the High Court to be assessed. I should point out for completeness that the gas companies, Gas Tomza, Western Energies and the others also argued that other fundamental rights were breached like the rights to freedom of association and equality of law. The Court of Appeal said no, those were not breached, and the ten million dollars awarded by the High Court, the Court of Appeal found there was not sufficient evidence, so damages have to be reassessed, meaning done over. I think if I was to attempt to distill it into one significant thing, it is that requirement, that onerous, impossible requirement of having to have a storage facility of one point five million U.S gallons to be able to import LPG has been deleted form the law.”

Reporter

“Your clients are now free to exercise their business rights.”

Godfrey Smith

“Assuming there is no appeal.”

Reporter

“But, will they get, are they assured of getting a permit. I know the court cannot order an authority, but they still don’t have a permit to sell wholesale LPG in Belize.”

Godfrey Smith

“They will have to apply. I think one of them went out of business, Southern Choice Butane, there were four claimants at the very beginning s of the case. One went out of business. If the three wish to continue in the business of importing LPG, they will have to apply and the government can deny a permit, but it cannot be for any oppressive reason, it has to be for a good reason, especially because these companies were in the business before for many years.”

Central Bank Looks into Allegations Against ABL

Last Monday, the attorney for Michael Feinstein, Godfrey Smith, wrote to the Governor of the Central Bank of Belize requesting an investigation of Atlantic Bank Limited. The allegation was that ABL committed, “serial breaches of the Domestic Banks and Financial Institutions Act”. The letter noted that ABL approved and disbursed over sixty million dollars in loan funds to Stake Bank Enterprise Limited using monies belonging to depositors, as well as the pension funds of employees working at Atlantic Bank Limited. The letter asserts that this was done without ensuring that adequate security was put in place at the onset. These were among the numerous allegations raised against ABL in the letter. Today, when reporters caught up with Smith, he said that the Central Bank of Belize has assured him that they are looking into the allegations.

Godfrey Smith S.C., Attorney-at-law

“As I understand it the Central Bank is looking into the matter.”

Reporter

“They have acknowledged the receipt of the letter?”

Godfrey Smith

“Yes, they have.”

Reporter

“But in terms of processes, what do you expect next? Have they given a timeline or do you expect that by a specific time?”

Godfrey Smith

“No, I do not know of a timeline, but I understand the matter is being taken seriously and being examined.”

Reporter

“How do you proceed, will Feinstein give the bank a certain time, let us say three months and then take them to court?”

Godfrey Smith

“Well I don’t think we are there yet. As I said, I think the Central Bank of Belize is taking the matter absolutely seriously and looking at the allegations, as it should, as it is obliged to do and as it is doing as far as I am aware.”

Central Bank Limited Revokes PD7, Domestic Banks Accept Voluntary Measures

The Central Bank of Belize announced on Tuesday that it has withdrawn Practice Direction Number Seven Act (PD7), following deliberate negotiations and collaboration with the domestic banks. PD7 sought to impose restrictions on certain fees and penalties by the banks. Belize Bank Limited challenged the legality of the act and in January, the High Court granted the bank an interim injunction to put a temporary halt on its enforcement. According to the Central Bank of Belize, further discussion was held to resolve any objections related to the act. As a result, the domestic banks have agreed to voluntarily implement a list of six measures as of June first. One is that no fee will be charged for accounts closed within one to three months of opening. Another is that no fee will be charged for the issuance of letters for the purpose of salary release or cancellation. Additionally, the fee for withdrawal at ATMs of the same institution from which the funds are being withdrawn will be capped at twenty-five cents. Today, Senior Counsel Godfrey Smith, attorney for Belize Bank Limited, told reporters that the bank is comfortable with making the required adjustments.

Godfrey Smith, S.C. Attorney-at-law

“We got here through a process of discussion between the Central Bank of Belize and the banks who stood to be affected by PD7. There were discussions and as you rightly point out, Central Bank agreed to withdraw PD7 and the banks will put certain measures in place on the first of June and subsequent to that date as well, to voluntarily put in place certain measures.”

Reporter

“Does the bank now have some comfort with this reduction of ATM charges going forward?”

Godfrey Smith

“I would have to say so otherwise they would not have agreed to voluntarily implement the measures to be implemented on the first of June and subsequently. I believe I saw some ad from the Central Bank on the news showing the measures that are to be implemented. But the answer to question is that if they were not happy about it or thought that it would be deleterious, they would not have agreed, and they have agreed to voluntarily implement these measures.”

Belize Bank Limited has undertaken to discontinue its claim upon the revocation of PD7.

JUNT and GOB Negotiating Team Meet After Six Months

The Joint Unions Negotiation Team met with representatives of the Government of Belize today after seven months. The union’s negotiating team is comprised of members from the Belize National Teachers Union, the Public Service Union and the Association of Public Service Senior Managers. The joint unions wrote Deputy Prime Minister Cordel Hyde a few weeks ahead of today’s meeting proposing eight items for discussion. Among the proposals was a request to have the concluded Collective Agreement between the Government of Belize and the joint unions signed, a call for tax reform, and the establishment of a UN Anti-Corruption Commission. We caught up with the Deputy Prime Minister after the meeting in Belize City who spoke briefly about some of the outcomes from today’s discussions.

Cordel Hyde, Deputy Prime Minister

“I can tell you that the big deliverable has been the matter of the CBA that has been sixteen years outstanding. And the particular sticking point for all those years was proposal twenty-two. The big issue being that teacher, particularly at the secondary school level that are not government schools, government pays seventy percent of their salaries and the denominational management pay thirty percent. Upon retirement the government pays seventy percent of the pension, and the management pays thirty percent. But for many years a lot of those teachers who spent many years of their lives teaching were unable to collect their full pension because the managements have had difficulty with that. So, proposal twenty-two from the unions from way back as 2008 was about saying why don’t you take on a hundred percent of those salaries. At the high school level, the tertiary level, not just for teachers, but also for auxiliary staff. That has been a sticking point for all those years. in December the government finally agreed that we would cover that, that we would respond favorably to proposal twenty-two.”

16 Years of Union’s CBA Negotiations to Come to an End on June 5th

We also heard from Nadia Caliz, the President of the Belize National Teachers Union. Caliz told reporters that both groups have agreed on June fifth to sign off on proposal twenty-two and the Collective Bargaining Agreement. Here is what she told us.

Nadia Caliz, National President, B.N.T.U.

“What we did is that we looked at a number of proposals that we sent to government approximately two weeks ago. We gave them time to go through it so today’s meeting was for us to discuss those things. WE did look at the increment suspension. We looked at tax reform, pension reform and the fact that we had additional suggestions for government, they will be going back to their teams to address those things and we will be going to our team to share with them some of the things we agreed to. To very important things happened on June fifth we will be signing off on proposal twenty-two and closing off the CBA and we got the government to agree to paying fifty percent of what is due to people who have retired, at least in the past thirty days because there are so many people out there hammering for what is rightfully there’s. And through today’s negotiations government has committed to giving those retired persons fifty percent of what is rightfully there’s, So for us that is a plus.”

ComPol Says Recent SOE Led to Charges, Including Murder

The success of the most recent state of emergency that expired last Friday has been called into question by the Belizean public, particularly residents of the Old Capital whose neighborhoods were designated as hotspots amid a rash of gang-related incidents. When asked about the effectiveness of the latest roundup, ComPol Williams said that a number of individuals were charged with various offenses, including the murder of a policeman in Roaring Creek Village.

Chester Williams, Commissioner of Police

“We did charge some people with some offenses, some crimes. You would know that some people were charged for murder, including two who were charged for the murder of a police officer in Roaring Creek, and we are also looking for two other suspects in respect to a murder in Belize City. But as I had said before that we needed more time to complete the gang investigation. So while the SOE has expired…we continue our investigation in terms of the gang membership and whenever the GI3 gets through with those investigations then we’ll be filing or levying charges against some people.”

Police Say Slain Murder Suspect Also Killed Rosalito Pacheco

Was slain murder suspect Cruz Castillo, who was shot and killed by police in Cotton Tree Village several weeks ago, the same individual believed to have taken the life of missing Corozal cab driver Rosalito Pacheco? Pacheco’s remains were discovered over the weekend after being reported missing by family and friends on February first. His vehicle was later discovered in Fresh Pond at the end of February and a family of three was arrested and jointly charged with handling stolen property. According to Commissioner of Police Chester Williams, Cruz was the prime suspect in the murder of Shane Baizar and Rosalito Pacheco.

Chester Williams, Commissioner of Police

“From all indications we had gathered, yes, he was responsible.”

Reporter

“And so, since Mr. Castillo is dead that case, that’s the justice that the family receives, but what happened to the persons found with the cab? Do you investigate further how they came into possession of the cab?”

Chester Williams

“Yes, that was part of our investigation. We have also gathered that information and that matter was before the court.”

Police to Lobby G.O.B. Over Existing Seatbelt Law

A new seatbelt law came into force recently in an attempt to enforce traffic laws and prevent grave road traffic accidents across the country. While the effectiveness of the new measure is yet to be determined, there are allegations of extortion being made against members of the Belize Police Department. According to ComPol William, the department will advocate for a change in the existing laws to make the issue of persons not wearing seatbelts a ticketable offense.

Chester Williams, Commissioner of Police

“I hope not. The complaint from Cristo Rey Road had to do with that, the issue of seatbelts, and we will be lobbying to government or parliament to see how we can get the seatbelt law a ticketed offense, as opposed to an arrestable offense. To arrest a person for seatbelt is extremely tedious, it’s a lengthy process. So if we can make it a ticketable offence, it is more easier to both the offender and the police officer because when we have to remove officers from the streets to come and charge someone for seatbelt, we leave the streets open because the police officers could be out there patrolling, preventing crime and we have to be in a station processing a person, charging them for seatbelt. So just as we have the traffic offenses that are ticketable, we will ask that the seatbelt offense be a ticketed one as well.”