The People’s National Party (PNP) has formally requested changes to polling station assignments in Toledo East.
In a letter to Chief Elections Officer Josephine Tamai, PNP leader Wil Maheia outlined key areas where adjustments are needed to ensure a fair and convenient voting process.
The party is advocating for Santana Village residents to vote at the Barranco polling station instead of travelling to Cattle Landing, which they argue is unnecessarily far. The PNP is calling for Boom Creek voters to cast their ballots at the Catholic School in Punta Gorda, rather than being required to bypass three other polling stations to reach their designated location.
The letter also states, “we would like to bring attention to the situation in the village of Dolores. Currently, Dolores has a significantly larger number of voters than Otoxa, yet Otoxa is the designated polling station for both communities.” The PNP is pushing for a dedicated polling station in Dolores to improve voter accessibility.
“We urge you to consider these concerns and make the necessary adjustments to ensure a more efficient and accessible voting process for our communities,” Maheia stated.
On Thursday night, the People’s United Party (P.U.P.) launched its Plan Belize 2.0 manifesto in San Ignacio. This comes as part of their political campaign ahead of Election Day on March 12.
In his address, party leader John Briceño detailed the progress made over the past four years but also made it clear that much more remains to be done. “I am well aware there is more that needs to be done,” he stated.
Among the key pledges were promises to improve the cost of living and make communities safer through continued crime prevention efforts. “I know the cost of living is still too high, and that we must work harder to make the basic goods and services that we need more affordable,” Briceño stated.
“I know we still have many Belizeans who are sacrificing to support their children,” he said, adding a major announcement, “That is why I am pleased to announce that right here in San Ignacio, effective next school year, Sacred Heart College will be the next school to enjoy free education from 1st form to 4th form.”
Briceño added that while things were difficult in 2019 and 2020, the situation has improved over the past four years, and they have successfully stabilised the country. He said, “We all remember what it was like in 2019 and 2020, but look at where we are now. Just four years later, we have turned things around; we have steadied the ship of state.”
Two young men, Alexander Munoz and Henry Artemio Osorio, drowned yesterday in Belmopan. Their bodies were recovered from the Guanacaste Park riverside bathing area. Reports are that at around 4:30 p.m., two female students alerted authorities when their friends failed to resurface.
Police arrived at the scene shortly after. Reports indicate that the men were underwater for about 20 minutes. Despite immediate attempts to revive them, both were pronounced dead. According to witnesses, Munoz drifted away from the group, and Osorio tried to rescue him.
The National Children’s Parliament of Belize issued a statement on social media: “Today, the National Children’s Parliament of Belize, along with the 2021 cohort, mourns the passing of former Speaker of the Children’s Parliament, Hon. Alexander Munoz.” It added, “We extend our deepest condolences to his family, friends, loved ones, and classmates. May his soul rest in peace.”
In a separate post on Facebook, a relative announced the passing of Osorio on Thursday. “It is with deep sorrow that we announce the passing of my beloved brother, Henry Osorio,” the relative said. She added, “Just this morning, you were rushing me to hurry because you were ready to go to school. I never imagined today would be our last moment together. Sleep well, my dear brother. Gran and Mamita will take care of you now.”
This morning, a gruesome discovery was made near a bridge in San Antonio Village, Orange Walk. The body of twenty-nine-year-old Raheem Usher was found in the Rio Hondo, je was handcuffed and wrapped in a sheet and covered in plastic. Raheem, a construction worker from Libertad Village, Corozal, had been missing since January twenty-fifth. His family had even offered a fifteen-thousand-dollar reward for any information on his whereabouts, but sadly, no leads came through. When his body was found, it came with a chilling message threatening those involved in, quote, bringing down planes with drugs, end quote. The message also mentioned a Corporal of Police at the Corozal Police Formation. Today, Senior Superintendent of Police Chris Noble, who leads that formation, shared with the media what they discovered.
Chris Noble
Sr. Supt. Chris Noble, Commander, Northern Region
“A deceased male who has been confirmed to be the missing person from Libertad and he exhibited injury, the body exhibited injury and has been taken to the forensic lab.”
Reporter
“We have seen a photograph of a sheet with a very clear message written on it. It’s a threat really to members of your formation in Corozal.”
Sr. Supt. Chris Noble
“ I don’t know of any threats to the formation and whatever you have is what we have.”
Reporter
“One of the officers named in that message is a relative of the deceased and it’s saying that these things will happen – an end like this will befall these people because they’re involved in plane landings.”
Chris Noble
“In that case, I’ll say that police officers are to protect life and property, but I don’t know that training is done and for plane landings.”
Reporter
”In July of 2023, Usher’s older brother Curtis Usher was shot and killed. He was targeted by men who used high-power rifles, and initially, there was a narco element. Do police believe these two incidents may be connected?”
Chris Noble
“We can’t say that the incidents are connected because in 2023, when the relative was targeted that investigation was done and there may be a possibility of us looking at what that investigation was to carry us forward with this current one.”
Raheem Usher was found with handcuffs on his wrists and duct tape over his eyes. His body was wrapped in a sheet and covered with plastic, which had a note, and a list of names attached. The police are still waiting for a postmortem examination to figure out the cause of death as they try to piece together how his body ended up so far from home. Senior Superintendent Noble didn’t reveal whether it was a civilian or the police who discovered the body.
Chris Noble
Sr. Supt. Chris Noble, Commander, Northern Region
“Whatever message, it’s a part of our investigation, which started on or around the 25th of January, and it is continuing now. With this new information we are going at what we’re supposed to be doing as in – with the investigators, as we now have a body, we have, as you say, a message to somebody, because that’s none to me, and we move forward with our investigation.”
Reporter
“Is there a suspicion, Sir, that he was killed by the narcos or the cartel?”
Chris Noble
“Suspicions, again, don’t go anywhere. We have to use what we have and go on a fact finding mission, Sir. It’s a part of our investigation.”
Marion Ali
“Will your fact-finding mission involve any members of the Mexican authorities – the police?”
Chris Noble
“Our investigations run in several directions at any one time. And I want to throw at you the current with a matter in the way that persons were taken back to Guatemala.”
Reporter
“Sir, could you speak about the police’s presence in the north as it pertains to deterring plane landings over the past couple of months?”
Chris Noble
“We have a patrol strategy. It encompasses the entire northern area. The border point has seen specific units assigned and specific assets assigned to those units for that purpose. Are you able to speak about the duct tape and the electrical tape that were also, both of them bunged his eyes? I can’t speak to it. I was one, a person that was reported to, one and two, the investigators are dealing with what was found on scene. If persons are named, one, there’s interview, two, if there’s a need for protection, it will be granted, and three, whenever we verify who those persons are, they become a part of our investigation.”
Reporter
“Handcuffs were found on his hands.”
Chris Noble
“If handcuffs were found on his hands and he was bound by handcuffs then again, I’ll go back to it being a part of our investigation.”
Marion Ali
“Do the police have any way of identifying handcuffs? Do you have special markings? Is that the case with these ones found on his hands. Were you able to determine if they were assigned to anybody from the department?”
Chris Noble
“Our investigators are on the ground, one. Two, that there are specific markings will be revealed based on the investigation that I can’t see at this point they were or that a series number would have led us back to a policeman. We need to understand that some items or items that are found with persons are readily available on the open market.”
Meanwhile, Keixa Usher, the victim’s sister, told News Five that the family had no idea if he had been threatened or intimidated before he went missing in late January. She shared that her brother, a father of a five-year-old, would stay in Libertad when he found work in Corozal and then travel back to Hattieville to stay with their mom. Although the family is heartbroken by the discovery of his body, they are grateful to finally have some closure.
On the phone: Keixa Usher, Sister of Deceased
“We are trying to put our hearts at peace that at least we found him. At least they didn’t just throw him in the water because he was right by a river. At least we found the body and we can lay my brother to rest. That’s our greatest concern and that’s really all we are focusing onat the moment.”
Marion Ali
“Had he indicated at any time that his life was in danger or he was fearful of somebody trying to harm him?”
On the phone: Keixa Usher
“No ma’am, Rahim didn’t mention anything like that to me. I don’t know what the police are saying at the moment. I have no leads as it relates to them. I just know that the body was found this morning and identified by my dad.”
After Elmer Nah’s shocking motion in court to fire his attorney, Senior Counsel Godfrey Smith, we haven’t been able to reach the lawyer he now claims is representing him—Trinidadian Peter Taylor. Taylor is currently back home and, according to the bombshell dropped by accused murderer Elmer Nah in the High Court, Smith is no longer his lawyer. When we arrived at the court this afternoon, the decision had already been made, as Smith was seen exiting the building through the back. When asked about the situation, Smith simply said that nothing was happening today and no adjournment date had been set, before quickly leaving. Minutes later, we discovered that just five minutes before Smith’s rapid exit, the case had been adjourned after Nah fired him. The matter is now set for a Case Management Conference on March thirteenth, 2025. In open court, Smith mentioned hearing rumors about his representation of Nah and sought clarification. Nah, appearing virtually from a cell at the Belize Central Prison, confirmed that he is now represented by attorney Peter Taylor and his team. If Peter Taylor’s name sounds familiar, it’s because he is also representing William “Danny” Mason in his kidnapping case, set for trial in late April. After getting clarification, Smith left the court, now knowing he is no longer representing Nah. The announcement shocked the court, including the judge, who allowed the adjournment and set the new date. Peter Taylor, who was called to the bar just a day earlier, made his first court appearance as Danny Mason’s attorney on January thirtieth, 2025. He was accompanied by a legal team that included senior research officer Eustace Warner and instructing attorney Nehanda Samuels. Despite several attempts to reach Taylor via email, we have not received any response from him up to news time.
This morning, Chief Magistrate Jayani Wegodapola handed down sentences for three convicted bank robbers after considering their mitigation pleas overnight. Out of the five men accused, four were tried and convicted, but only three received their sentences today. Sentencing for George Meighan was postponed to March sixth, 2025. The men involved are Anthony Barrow, Jason McKenzie, Leon Westby, and George Meighan. The trio faced charges of robbery, two counts of aggravated assault, two counts of possessing a firearm without a license, one count of possessing ammunition without a license, and two counts of aggravated assault on police constables Robert Sutherland and Robert Parchue. They also faced charges for damaging an ATM during the robbery. However, only Meighan and Barrow were found guilty of damaging the ATM. The charge of assaulting PC Robert Parchue was dropped because he didn’t testify. Anthony Barrow received a total sentence of twenty-one years and ten months. He was sentenced to twelve years for robbery, ten months for assaulting PC Robert Sutherland, one year for damaging the ATM, ten years for possessing a firearm without a license, and another ten years for possessing ammunition without a license. His sentences for firearm and ammunition charges will run consecutively. Jason McKenzie was sentenced to ten years for robbery, eight months for assaulting PC Robert Sutherland, and six years each for the firearm and ammunition charges. Leon Westby received seven years for robbery, six months for assaulting PC Robert Sutherland, and six years each for the firearm and ammunition charges. Their sentences for the firearm and ammunition charges will run concurrently with their other sentences.
On Tuesday, the Elections and Boundaries Commission made its final decision on the colors for the two U.D.P. factions. Both factions will use red, without any symbols or signs to tell them apart. This decision isn’t sitting well with U.D.P. Leader Moses ‘Shyne’ Barrow, who plans to file a civil suit against the commission. Today, we spoke with Commission Chairman Oscar Sabido, who mentioned they haven’t received any official notice about being sued.
Oscar Sabido Puga
Oscar Sabido Puga, Chairman, E.B.C.
“We have had indications up and down that is as a result that they are not satisfied with the proceedings we have been having. Matter of allocation of colors is not a matter which is determined that one shot. We had three meetings when we were indicating to the factions which incidentally are represented in the very commission. One of them is an official of the party’s executive and another is a member of the party and has substantial influence in the other faction. So, we had a process and we have heard it. But we have nothing to indicate that will happen in anyway at this point.”
Paul Lopez
“Did the commission misspeak or did not speak with clarity when there was a suggestion that there would be a color and symbol to differentiate, because now it is just a solid color across the board.”
Oscar Sabido Puga
“The process is one where we took a preliminary vote on seven options. The vote by majority was that we were going to implement the part of the reflection where we were going to join both the color or symbol for the purpose of differentiation between o the parties. But at the end of the day we must come to a final conclusion on the matter based on the returns that come in on nomination. We have the nomination forms that we review and had a final determination on Tuesday and another vote and at that time because of the time the two parties involved did not offer symbols.”
Chairman Puga was asked why the Elections and Boundaries Commission didn’t use its power to assign different colors to the two factions. Puga explained that the commission tried to get the factions to agree on their own. When they couldn’t find common ground, the commission went with a majority vote on Tuesday.
Oscar Sabido Puga, Chairman, E.B.C.
“That was the problem we were having, because everybody had this severe antagonism by one side against the other. The suggestion was being made that they should get together and agree how they can differentiate and that is why the issue of the symbols came up. But at the end of the day they did not bring up the symbols when the application was made. It is on nomination day that the color is allocated, you have to present your color and symbol, which was asked of them and they did not. So they insisted on retaining the colors for themselves to the exclusion of another, this one retaining it to the exclusion and they wouldn’t bog, no way they were going to bog.”
Paul Lopez
“Legally, did the commission have the jurisdiction to assign such symbols?”
Oscar Sabido Puga
“Yes, yes, we could have done it with symbol and colors, we had legal precedents for that, that is clearly established. But in order to not force it on them, because we would have had to force the symbol on them, because they would not provide the symbols on nomination day we would to proceed on that basis.”
