Prime Minister John Briceño is back from Cancun, following a whirlwind visit over the weekend where he met with Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador and the head of the Federal Electricity Commission, C.F.E. PM Briceño was accompanied by senior officials from Belize Electricity Limited to discuss a solution to Belize’s energy crisis. As we’ve reported over the past few weeks, the country has been experiencing a series of scheduled power outages. Those blackouts were the result of load shedding that became necessary when C.F.E. was unable to provide energy to Belize’s national grid. The meeting with President AMLO was fruitful and PM Briceño has returned to Belize with good news that the Mexican energy provider will now supply a total of seventy-five megawatts to the national grid. This morning, the prime minister spoke with reporters regarding this latest development.
Prime Minister John Briceño
Prime Minister John Briceño
“When I met with the president in Mexico City, he invited me to join him in Cancun where every two weeks he goes to look at the [progress of the] Tren Maya project. And so he invited different ministries and the head of C.F.E. to be able to meet with us. We had a chance to meet with the president and the head of C.F.E. and they have agreed that they will work with us to continue to provide energy. As you know, well probably most people don’t know, we have a maximum of fifty-five megawatts of energy that we can buy. Now what the president offered us to be able to increase it by twenty more, so we’ll be able to buy approximately seventy-five megawatts and we’ll be working with C.F.E. now to run a second line into Belize.”
The Briceño administration has taken a decision to remove the existing border tax for Mexican visitors entering Belize. Among several other initiatives, Cabinet has also agreed on allowing Mexican visitors to use their insurance in Belize. It’s all in an effort to facilitate easier access and movement into the country. PM Briceño explains.
Prime Minister John Briceño
Our cabinet has agreed to lift or to provide the cards for the Mexicans free of charge so they could come into Belize easily, remove the border tax and also be able to use their insurance into Belize. We’re doing this so that we can be able to make it easier for Mexicans to visit Belize. And lastly, we spoke about Tren Maya. We spoke with General Aguila, who is in charge of the project, along with ICA, a private sector company that’s building, they have different sections. They are building different companies, along with the army. They are building it and about the possibility of moving it from Chetumal, Tren Maya, to our border, to start there and to eventually go into the rest of the country. So all of these discussions, this is what we’ve agreed to roughly and we’re now starting to put that on pen and paper and hopefully sometime next month we’ll be able to sign this agreement. So it was very successful, I’m very grateful to President AMLO, as everybody knows him, Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador. I also met with the governor from Quintana Roo, who was also there. We had several discussions. There’s an interest in the port because now that Chetumal is going to be a duty free area, all the goods will have to come in through the Belize port. So they want to also take a look at the port and see that we can improve the port so that they can handle the amount of goods that they expect will be coming through shortly. I extended an invitation to the governor and we expect that probably in maybe a month or two, so that he’d be able to come on a working visit.”
Twenty-five-year-old Jemine Thurton is making headlines tonight for scamming a popular Belize City restaurant and bar out of thousands of dollars in food and drinks. Between March twenty-fourth and May first, she ordered generously from Celebrity’s menu, requesting shots of tequila, nachos, Heineken beer, shrimp alfredo and an extensive list of other food and drinks amounting to three thousand, two hundred and twenty-eight dollars. Thurton never paid for any of it and has been charged with two counts of obtaining property by deception. It is alleged that Thurton, a regular customer of Celebrity’s, scammed the establishment by making fraudulent online payments. Taylor Fuller, an administrator at the restaurant, grew suspicious when he observed two payments dated May fifteenth and seventeenth, respectively. According to Fuller, the online banking system does not make mistakes with time and dates as it is an automated process. When he visited Belize Bank to make a query, Fuller was informed that the transactions were illegitimate. He then did a review of all the previous payment transactions made by Thurton and discovered that none of the payments were legitimate. On Sunday, a police report was filed by Fuller and Thurton was arrested and charged. She appeared in court earlier today where she was charged with two counts of obtaining property by deception. She pleaded not guilty to both charges and was offered bail in the sum of five thousand dollars, plus one surety of the same amount.
The mitigation pleas for convicted attorney, Oscar Selgado started today, but his medical condition was so fragile that the proceeding was adjourned until Friday. Today, two persons spoke on Selgado’s behalf: former Chief Magistrate, Sharon Fraser, who is a diabetic like Selgado and who can attest to some of the challenges that diabetics endure. The second person, Frank Selgado, is the attorney’s brother, who shared information about their humble upbringing that his brother had to work hard to become an attorney, and that he made a mistake in life. But the matter could not proceed further because Selgado experienced a fainting spell and Justice Nigel Pilgrim, adjourned it until Friday. Before the adjournment, Selgado asked for permission to speak and told the court that the prison penalized him by putting him in solitary confinement without proper ventilation for making a phone call to the courthouse last Thursday to inquire if the documents for his temporary release for his appearance in court today were made out. He said he made the call because he heard from an employee at the prison that there were no documents for his appearance in court. Selgado, fighting back tears, apologized to the court and said his purpose for making the call was not to undermine any system, but simply to ensure that the papers were prepared in order that he could be brought down to the court today. He said that his experience in the poorly ventilated cell played havoc on his already fragile health condition and that the person who was sent to examine him was a fellow prisoner who could only check his glucose level, which at the time was acutely low. The judge said he’d have the matter investigated as it pertains to how Selgado’s health condition is being treated at the facility. Following the adjournment, one of Selgado’s attorney, Arthur Saldivar told reporters that he thinks the prison was too harsh on Selgado for calling and inquiring about his release papers.
Arthur Saldivar
Arthur Saldivar, Attorney for Oscar Selgado
“There is always this belief that there’s special treatment and he’s not going to be treated the same way ordinary people or other persons would be treated. He is an ordinary person. There is nothing superhuman about an attorney. And he is an ordinary person with serious medical frailties and conditions. And certainly there’s no special treatment being given to him. He’s been convicted of a serious offence, we know this, and like any person would, he has to go through this process. I do believe that the prison for what he is said to have done, acted extreme, to say the least. A phone call does not warrant a trip to solitary confinement. He was not threatening anybody. He was not making himself a menace. He was simply querying as to whether or not his removal order was properly processed for him to be here today. So I am urging the prison and the prison authorities who I understand have a job to do, to at least be a little bit more reasonable and rational with all their inmates but in particular with those who have conditions like Mr. Selgado. We had the situation of Jahan Abadi not too long ago – a person, Mr. Selgado, with Mrs. Salgado’s particular medical condition, diabetes. He himself was put in solitary confinement on a number of occasions for very minor things, wound up dying in less than a year. We do not want that to repeat itself. I believe that the management at Kolby were given that privilege to manage and earn monies off inmates with a view to having conditions made better for all inmates, not to make remand time and short-term sentences a death penalty. The court may not be apprised fully and understand fully, so we are in the process of bringing a doctor to give the court the benefit of expert testimony as to what could be expected, and why it is that the facility at Kolby is not adequate for a person in Mr. Selgado’s condition.”
Former Chief Magistrate Sharon Fraser, in her testimony as a diabetic, spoke to the challenges that diabetics such as Selgado endure, and how prison life adds to those challenges. Saldivar said that in a case like this, where the convicted is a trained expert in a field of study, the state should use their training to the benefit of others as a part of their punishment, rather than to tolerate jeopardizing their lives.
Arthur Saldivar
Arthur Saldivar, Attorney for Oscar Selgado
“She spoke as only she can, about the challenges of diabetes and why it is from her expert and knowledgeable point of view, the prison would not be the best place for Oscar Selgado. We must remember, apart from being the former chief magistrate of this country, Ms. Fraser sat on the Parole Board at Kolby for quite a number of years, so she is intimately in tune and knowledgeable about the conditions of the prison and its capabilities. A part of sentencing has to do with rehabilitation and reformation. Mr. Selgado has the real prospect of losing his livelihood, which is a very grave punishment in itself. What he also has, by virtue of the expertise that he has and the training that he has, is the ability to help a lot of poor people out here, not by coming to court for them, but by providing advice for them. So there should be other ways that we look at to punish him appropriately for this offense that has been committed, but without compromising his life and losing a resource that could otherwise be put to good use for the public at large.”
The proceeding was adjourned until nine-thirty Friday morning.
Former Port Loyola Area Representative Anthony “Boots” Martinez has officially filed a High Court claim against the Elections and Boundaries Department. Earlier in May, Martinez told the media that the department refused his request to have the one hundred and eighty-eight rejected names on his Gilroy Usher recall petition further verified, based on advice from the attorney general. As a result, Martinez indicated that he would be filing a claim against the department over the refusal. Well, today we met Martinez outside the courthouse. He was there to finalize his application submission. Here is what he told us.
Anthony “Boots” Martinez
Anthony “Boots” Martinez, Former Area Rep., Port Loyola
“I am here to deal with the registry of the supreme court to see the processes of the application for judicial review for the recall petition. The hundred and eighty-eight mismatched signatures of which I personally witnessed a hundred and seventy-two of the people signed and got back one hundred and fifty-eight declarations of the people saying they did sign the petition. So that is the only bone of contention in my view. They say, in my view, I believe that justice not only needs to be done but seems to be done. How you wah verify petition, in my view the law talks about duly verifying a petition and it falls in the chief elections officer hands and their team because they have the capability. They are the people who go, and check people’s addresses and they know there is nothing in the law that says there is one stop way of verifying. The people have phone numbers, an address you cannot even call and whatever the case may be. I have a fundamental problem with it. That cannot be the be it and end it all for the elections and boundaries because the court must have remedy to them kind of thing deh.”
Marion Ali
“Is there a timeline you are looking at?”
Anthony “Boots” Martinez
“We are looking to it as quick as we could, and we hope to get through it by November of this year because the law speaks to eighteen months after you can’t launch a petition eighteen months after the person is elected and one months before the next election is due.”
And if you happened to have forgotten why Martinez is so adamant about having current Area Representative Gilroy Usher recalled, he reminded us today. He also told us that he will seek another term in the constituency if that is what the Port Loyola constituents desire.
Anthony “Boots” Martinez, Former Area Rep., Port Loyola
“Two things happen, I only bear one signature, this is about the residents of Port Loyola who in my humble opinion believe that Mr. Usher is not doing the proper service that is why they sign the petition. This is not about one person. This is about the people of Port Loyola. This is about the fourteen, eighty five, fifteen hundred people that sign the petition. This is about the people, not “Boots” Martinez.”
Marion Ali
“So you don’t plan on reentering?”
Anthony “Boots” Martinez
“Listen, I am a creature of instruction like my attorney. The people asked me to launch the petition, they asked me to append their signature of which I did. The next step they will decide.”
Marion Ali
“But what your stance, do you want to reenter?”
Anthony “Boots” Martinez
“It is not what I want. I am a creature of instruction, the longest serving member of Port Loyola, four terms, consecutive. From since Port Loyola was created I am the longest serving member in the National Assembly there. So for me it has to be the wishes of the people. Like what I said last week, into retirement now, economically it is better for me. A representative makes only three thousand a month. My pension alone from government is more than that plus I get pension from Social Security. But like I said, all of that is not possible without the people.”
Improving regional security through law enforcement cooperation was a sentiment that echoed through the room, as representatives from police forces of eighty countries met for the annual general meeting and conference of the Association of Caribbean Commissioners of Police. This year Belize is hosting a meeting that provides an opportunity for commissioners of police from across the region to discuss strategies in tackling crime as a united front. Over the next four days, these commissioners will discuss how to address issues such as gang violence and border security, as the issues become of higher concern. News Five’s Britney Gordon was at the opening ceremony today for more information.
Britney Gordon, Reporting
Gun violence, cartel and gang activity are all issues that have been of primary concern for the Caribbean region. Over the past few years, neighboring countries have observed a surge in these types of criminal activities. In 2023, Belize enjoyed a record low crime rate, but this year has proven otherwise. At the annual conference of the Association of Caribbean Commissioners of Police, commissioners from across the region will strategize how to quell these concerning numbers. This year’s meeting is being hosted in Belize.
Chester Williams
Chester Williams, Commissioner of Police
“Not just me, but I think the whole country of Belize should feel honored and privileged to be able to host this conference. As last year we hosted the AGM for the Central America Chiefs and Directors of Police in November. And so this is our second conference in eight months. It goes to show that as a police department as a country, we are progressing. Gone are the days where we see these conferences happening in other parts of the world and we are unable to bring it to our shores. And for us to have been able to do that, I think it’s a great achievement for us.”
Commissioner of Police Chester Williams said that Belize’s participation in the event will seek to bridge the gap between Central America and the Caribbean.
Chester Williams
“We will be doing a presentation and our presentation will be focused on How we can tie the Caribbean and Central American region together as you know that I am the president of the Central American Commission, and I’m also a second vice president of this association so I am an executive of both commissions and so as the president of one commission the Second vice president of this one. I see myself as that come with that can bring the two regions together and so we will be focusing on the similarity in the types of crimes that occur in both regions and to show how if we collaborate by bringing both regions together, we can achieve much more in fighting support of crime.”
Attending the event was Minister of Home Affairs Kareem Musa, who said the meeting was much needed as the Caribbean observed a particularly violent year in 2023.
Kareem Musa
Kareem Musa, Minister of Home Affairs & New Growth Industries.
“To be here for this thirty-eighth annual general meeting of the commissioners of the Caribbean. Extremely important, extremely timely. As you know, 2023 was a violent year all across the Caribbean and it was extremely important that this meeting take place. We are pleased, of course, to be hosting them here in beautiful Belize, but no doubt over the next four days, very, very important deliberations and discussions and presentations happening. And so it’s extremely important. And then, of course, thereafter, we’ll have a report.”
He explained that as neighboring countries struggle with similar issues, conferences like these are a vital part of implementing effective solutions.
Kareem Musa
“Well, of course, strategies we are, we are all facing similar type issues in terms of the influx of illegal weapons into our country. Of course, Belize is more porous than the other Caribbean countries because we do have the, the borders, the illegal border crossings where, guns come across, drugs come across, um, and the Caribbean, of course, is not immune to that either they do have issues at their ports of entry, whereby illegal weapons and drugs enter their country, and so, that’s one of the big issues, of course, gun violence, gang violence, in certain parts of the Caribbean has been extremely, high over the last year. So those are some of the issues and, of course, transnational crime that will be addressed at this conference.”
President of the Association of Caribbean Commissioners of Police andCommissioner of Police in Antigua and Barbuda, Atlee Rodney, further emphasized the strength of cross-border collaborations. He explained that the association works not only by sharing information, but by conducting research into what areas need to be prioritized when addressing them as a unit.
Atlee Rodney
Atlee Rodney, President, ACCP
“We basically look at what is happening. We do our research. As most persons know, gun crimes is one of the biggest issues we have in the Caribbean. So that takes top priority. In terms of all the crimes that are happening, even cybercrimes, we look at those things that are predominantly taking place in the Caribbean. We focus on it and see how we can work together. Individually, we try to assist each other by showing if the problem is more predominant in one state, we provide some support and some of our expertise so that they can address it collectively. Especially when it comes to transnational crime, we see how we can improve our networking and sharing of intelligence, sharing of information to curtail the problems that we are facing.”
According to Rodney, Antigua does not struggle with gang activity as much as other countries in the region, making its input in the conference indispensable as other nations will study its strategies to combat the issue.
Atlee Rodney
“There are some other countries having the same experience while quite a few of the Caribbean islands does not experience that. So what we do is to do the investigation, see how we can infiltrate those gangs and to address the problems that they are creating for our region. So best practices, some places, because for instance, in Antigua, we do not have that type of gang problems, but there was a time where it was surfacing, but we basically addressed it. So sharing the best practices, what worked and what did not work, and how we can all improve the situation in the Caribbean is what we do. When we come together as commissioners of police from the Caribbean.”
The traditional Crooked Tree Cashew Festival took place over the weekend in that historic village off the Philip Goldson Highway. The annual event draws thousands of Belizeans from all over who have a liking for either the cashew fruit or its many bi-products. And this year, there was no shortage of all that was made from cashew, including Kriol bread and bun, ice cream and even butter. News Five’s Marion Ali was there for the opening on Saturday and filed this report.
Marion Ali, Reporting
The football field in Crooked Tree Village was booming over the weekend with tasty treats made of the cashew fruit and nut. The event has become a tradition that spans thirty-seven years. Crooked Tree Village Chairman, George Tillett says it all stemmed from a joke.
George Tillett
George Tillett, Chairman, Crooked Tree Village
“It came in a time when Crooked Tree was transforming, turning into a wildlife sanctuary, And at that time, the livelihood of the people, Of the inhabitants of the village, We’re into traditional fishing, traditional hunting, and stuff like that. And everybody wanted this to stop. A guy by the name of Tom Grassi, along with the late John Jackson, Rudy Crawford, decided that let us start a festival, a cashew festival because cashew grows wild in this village. If you notice, these aren’t bushes, these are all cashew trees. And it was like a joke at first. What is a cashew festival? A cashew festival. But it started, and gradually, along with the casual aspect, the agricultural aspect also came in, plus the village life.”
Charlene Flowers and Verna Gillett-Samuels had on sale some new treats they came up with.
Verna Gillett-Samuels
Verna Gillett-Samuels, Resident, Crooked Tree Village
“From the fruit. I make the wine, the jam, the syrup, the let’s see, what else, oh when we make things like the cake and fruits that we put in the cake and then from this, from the nut, we make the cashew butter. We make, the cashew sham, like what we had today. And then we also make cashew fudge, cashew bun.”
Charlene Flowers
Charlene Flowers, Resident, Crooked Tree Village
“We got cashew hot sauce. You’ll have the cashew cake, cashew cream pie, and cashew, stew cashew.”
Marion Ali
“You make cashew jam as well?”
Charlene Flowers
“Yes, ma’am, and jelly, but tomorrow, and the ice cream we’ll have here today.”
Marion Ali
“Ice cream?”
Charlene Flowers
“Yeah, cashew ice cream. It’s not hard for me. I just sit down and think about different ingredients to put together and made it.”
Barbara Flowers travelled from Double Head Cabbage, several miles away, to attend the event for the very first time.
Barbara Flowers
Barbara Flowers, Attendee, Crooked Tree Cashew Fest
“This is the first time.
Marion Ali
“And then you bought two products?”
Barbara Flowers
“Two products. The because I believe I will enjoy it. That’s the cashew bread and the cashew fudge.”
Marion Ali
“Okay. So you’ve tried the cashew butter and the cashew bun?”
Barbara Flowers
“Yes. Not as yet, but I will look forward before the day out to try them. Not really into drinking to that, so yeah. So I did not believe I will try the wine.”
One thing that was not traditional to Crooked Tree but is rooted in Cayo were the herbal remedies by Harry Guy Sr. of Jungle Remedies. His son, Harry Junior, was on hand to offer natural medicines that could come in handy if you overdid the sweet treats from the weekend event.
Harry Guy Jr
Harry Guy Jr, Owner, Jungle Remedies
“We bring out a variety of almost all the products that we make. We have a high blood pressure, cholesterol, we have cancer, we have any kind of stomach problem, diabetes (medicine), we have a little bit of everything out here today. We’re in business now for more than 35 years. Well I recently started the business with him. Now, we have a lot of testimonials from people who I meet, people who are like amazed. They’re like, hey, your dad did this for me. I’m alive because of your dad and you don’t get a lot of good respondent thing from people. So it’s proven that yes, that’s why we’re still in business. My dad help this one.”
The Crooked Tree Cashew Fest is now a far cry from the joke it started out to be thirty-seven years ago. In fact, the chairman says it generates the kind of funds that helps the village to grow more.
George Tillett
“The proceeds that we are getting from these festivals is second to none. For example, last year was alarming. Last year we came up with a profit of over$ 21,000 from the festival. Which was used for what? This process is used for the development of the village, for the cleaning of public spaces. We used to have little bush booth out of cojone leaves and sticks and we have developed the, to a permanent, permanent booth, commercial booth, kitchen, and stuff like that. So our infrastructure have improved. Taking out garbage and stuff like that and sometimes we assist people in need.”
The villagers now look forward to a day when their products can be exported on a wide scale to promote further growth. Marion Ali for News Five.
The Oxford-AstraZeneca COVID vaccine is being withdrawn after more than three billion doses. It is estimated that the serum has saved the lives of millions during the pandemic; however, it also caused rare, and sometimes fatal, blood clots. According to the pharmaceutical company, it was a commercial decision to withdraw the vaccine. Earlier today, we spoke with Health Minister Kevin Bernard for a local perspective on the latest development regarding the vaccine.
Kevin Bernard
Kevin Bernard, Minister of Health & Wellness
“From my checks, as in any medication, any type, there will always be some level of side effect in some cases. Now, from the information I have, the AstraZeneca vaccines were recalled not necessarily because of the side effects, that is one component of it. However, the main reason for the recall has been because there has been zero demand for the vaccine and there were many in supply and I know that from the information [that] I have received as well, and I did check with my, our counterparts at WHO/PAHO in terms of what is the reality behind all of this. What we found out is that yes, the company has decided to do the recall, yes, there have been some issues of thrombosis in some cases. However, there is nothing in there to say that the vaccine hasn’t proven its efficacy. And so from the understanding that I have, this decision was made, [but] it’s not something to be alarmed about or to be frantic about. As you know, even in Belize, the demand for vaccines has also dropped tremendously. COVID has gone past us but that doesn’t say that COVID still doesn’t exist. We still have the Pfizer vaccine in country. I don’t think we have any of the AstraZeneca, those that we had had expired and I think we had disposed of those. So that gives us also that relief.”
