News Five Revisits Caribi Bleu Casino Investigation

It’s been three months since our last update on the Caribi Bleu Casino investigation in San Pedro. Tonight, News Five revisits the story with fresh details. We’ve confirmed the Central Bank’s findings on the unauthorized ATM dispensing US currency inside the casino. Plus, new information has surfaced about the company’s golf cart operations. And why isn’t the casino listed among the FIU’s registered entities? News Five’s Paul Lopez has the latest.

 

Paul Lopez, Reporting

In late 2024, News Five published several investigative reports on the operations at Caribi Bleu Casino.

 

Leni Ysaguirre McGann, Director, F.I.U. (File: Dec 18th, 2024)

“The FIU to protect the integrity of these processes and to protect the investigation are under strict confidentiality obligations.”

 

Kareem Michael, Governor, Central Bank (File: Nov 27th, 2024)

“I am sure you will appreciate that I cant say much on that, because it is a live investigation.”

 

Our investigation started with allegations that the company received 200 golf cart permits on an already traffic-congested island. But it didn’t stop there. We uncovered an illegal ATM inside the establishment that dispensed U.S. currency. The Central Bank of Belize and the Financial Intelligence Unit are now on the case. News Five has confirmed that no charges or fines were levied against the casino’s proprietor Rima Ray. Central Bank Governor Kareem Michael told us that the legislation governing the use of ATMs does not allow for administrative penalties. He further explained that fines can only be imposed through a summary conviction.  So, what happened? The owner received a simple slap on the wrist for operating an unauthorized ATM that dispenses US currency inside a Belizean casino.

 

Rima Ray quickly removed the ATM from the casino and promised not to run such operations again. The owner was also required to attend a meeting about national payment system regulations and guidelines. We obtained a document with an official Customs stamp stating that the machine would leave the country through the Belize/Mexico border on December seventh, heading to Chetumal for servicing and repairs. However, the letter raised many questions. It mentioned that the machine would return to Belize once the repairs were completed. Now, there are doubts about whether the machine actually left the country and if Customs had approved its initial importation.

 

New details have also emerged about the Caribi Bleu Limited’s fleet of golf carts. In November 2024, News Five visited the San Pedro Town Council’s Traffic Department and met with Miguel Perez, the aide to Mayor Gualberto Nunez. We discovered twenty golf carts registered under Caribi Bleu Limited, parked openly in the casino’s parking lot. But you might recall the extra golf carts stored in a building next to the casino that mysteriously disappeared. News Five has obtained images to show that they were moved to a fenced property not too far away for safe keeping. Since then, Caribi Bleu Limited purchased a golf cart company, Time Out Golf Cart Rental. A Companies Registry document shows that the transaction was finalized on the sixth of January 2025. News 5 has been reliably informed that Caribi Bleu Limited has an additional eighteen permits under Time Out Golf Cart Rental.

 

What’s even more intriguing is that Caribi Bleu Casino also operates under the name GMK Sky Limited, as shown on this flier for a raffle of a brand new 2024 golf cart. GMK also appears on this wire transfer receipt. In August 2024, Rima Ray transferred fifty thousand dollars through TD Bank to Belize Management and Consulting with special instructions for the GMK Hotel Project. However, when we checked the list of registered casinos under the FIU, neither Caribi Bleu Casino nor GMK Sky were listed. Reporting for News Five, I am Paul Lopez.