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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.”

Belizean Man Convicted in Texas for Illegal Re-entry

A Belizean man, previously deported from the U.S., is returning to prison after a federal jury in Del Rio found him guilty of illegally re-entering the country.

Francis Kerr, also known as Francis Deon Flowers, 51, was apprehended by border patrol near Eagle Pass on August 22, 2023. Yesterday, the U.S. Attorney’s Office announced his conviction for illegal re-entry.

Kerr was deported in 2009 after serving a 17-year sentence for robbery and assault. Despite his efforts to re-enter the U.S., a trial revealed his criminal history, including two counts of 2nd-degree robbery, four counts of assault with a firearm, and conspiracy to commit robbery, all stemming from his time in Los Angeles.

U.S. Attorney Jaime Esparza of the Western District of Texas announced the case, highlighting the collaboration between Customs and Immigration Services and the U.S. Border Patrol in tackling illegal immigration.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Paul Markovits and Joshua Garland prosecuted the case, underscoring that evading deportation orders and re-entering the country illegally will result in severe consequences. Kerr now faces another prison term, reaffirming that violating U.S. laws to escape a criminal past is futile.

Official Start of the 2024 Atlantic Basin Hurricane Season

June 1st marks the official beginning of the 2024 hurricane season for the Atlantic Basin, which includes the North Atlantic, Caribbean Sea, and the Gulf of Mexico. This season runs from June 1st to November 30th each year, though tropical cyclones can occasionally form outside this period.

The 2024 forecast predicts above-normal tropical cyclone activity in the Atlantic Basin, with expectations of 17 to 25 named storms. Out of these, eight to 13 are anticipated to become hurricanes, and four to seven are likely to reach major hurricane status (Category 3 or stronger). Typically, an average Atlantic season comprises 14 named storms, seven hurricanes, and three major hurricanes.

Two main factors are expected to influence the 2024 Atlantic hurricane season:

High likelihood of La Niña: Developing during the peak of the season, this phenomenon is likely to enhance tropical cyclone activity in the Atlantic Basin.
Warmer-than-average sea surface temperatures: These temperatures are expected to provide more energy, fueling tropical cyclone development.

What Does this Mean for Belize?

While seasonal predictions indicate the expected activity level of a hurricane season, they do not specify the timing or path of individual hurricanes. Belize, being in a region vulnerable to tropical cyclones, must remain prepared each year regardless of the forecast. Whether one or more of the 17 to 25 named storms predicted this season will impact Belize is uncertain, but preparedness is crucial.

A Million Dollars for Immediate Fire Relief

Wildfires continue to burn across Toledo and Cayo districts. With no rains forecasted in these areas, at least for the next few days, residents will continue to remain on high alert. Prime Minister John Briceño says his administration is doing everything it possibly can to put out the fires and assist victims. We spoke with the prime minister following today’s house meeting where he informed reporters that one million dollars have been set aside from government’s five-million-dollar contingency fund to offer immediate relief to fire victims in both districts. P.M. Briceño also touched on the issue of slash and burn, which is believed to be one of the primary causes of these fires. He, like the Area Representative for Toledo East said last week, believes that the method should be done away with and replaced with a safer farming practices. Here is what he told reporters.

Prime Minister John Briceño

“I think the first thing we need to accept is that the way we do things ten years ago, twenty years ago can no longer happen. The issue of slash and burn is something of the past. Now in agriculture we have to be using science and technology. I like to use the story of my grandfather who was a hundred and two years old and he was a subsistence farmer. He knew when it was time to fall bush, when it was time to burn and time to plant. But if he was alive today, he would be totally confused because things have changed dramatically. So the first lesson is that we have to understand that we cannot continue the ways of the old. We have to do better. What have we been doing, well we have been doing a lot of work. I need to give credit to our ministers, they have been on the ground not profiling but actually working, mobilizing resources and it is almost like all hands-on deck. All the different ministries that can help, from Human Development, Housing, MIDH, Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry. All of us are on board. But at the same time, we quickly realize that this was not a fire like other times so we needed to declare it a national disaster. By doing that we can then access international resources. We have wrote to the IDB and CABIE and both of them have already responded that they are going to assist us. We are using some resources from the contingency fund in the budget. WE have five million dollars aside for emergencies. So in Cabinet we decided we will be using a million dollars. We know that this is not enough, but this is just to get things going in the meantime. But we know that we have to be looking at food, that many of our farmers up to Tuesday, I don’t think we had any houses burning down, but we knew that a lot of them their milpas burn down, some of them their corn houses burn down. So we are working with human development and agriculture to see what is the best way to do something that is sustainable.”

Eight Million Dollars in Losses Due to Wildfires

And the losses have only increased since our visit to Toledo last week. According to Andre Perez, the minister responsible for the National Emergency Management Organization, an estimated eight million dollars in losses have been recorded due to forest fires. A total of two hundred and fifty families, or more than one thousand individuals, have been affected. Today, residents in at least three communities in Toledo were out battling fires that posed a threat to their livelihood. Here is more from Minister Perez.

Andre Perez, NEMO Minister

“Our initial damage assessment report indicates that two hundred and fifty families have been affected by the raging fires and these numbers continue to rise every day. Several hundred acres of farmlands have been destroyed by raging fires. I was told last night; two homes were lost in the Blue Creek area of the Stann Creek district. Today there are still communities at risk to these fires. Last night San Miguel, Silver Creek and Blue Creek were fighting these flames. We have reports as far north as Altun Ha and as far west in Benque Viejo. In the Mountain Pine Ridge, over ten thousand hectares of forest have been affected by wildfires. This is thirty-four thousand acres of land. The initial DANA is showing up to eight million dollars in damages so far. The full impact on agriculture remains unassessed due to the ongoing threat of wildfires and the unrelenting hot and dry weather condition. The full impact will only be understood when we analyses not only the damages but the loses our people have suffered.”

Response of Government to Fires Inadequate

Leader of the Opposition, Moses “Shyne” Barrow is criticizing the government for its response to this natural disaster. Barrow says that the government has not responded adequately. Here is what he had to say during today’s House meeting as he recounted his recent trip to Toledo where he visited affected families.

Moses “Shyne” Barrow, Leader of the Opposition

“I would like to discuss, bring to the nation’s attention concerns from the people in Toledo district. I had the pleasure of visiting there over the last couple weeks and when I was there the wildfires really reached its peak and there was a state of emergency declared. But what is happening in Toledo east and west brings into sharp focus the failures of the Briceno administration, and I would like to present these faults for corrective measure. We need as a government, as a nation to become policy oriented. We need as a government to anticipate these emergencies and be ready. We know it is dry season, traditionally the farmers across the country are preparing the farm and land for planting crops and to have the type of devastation taking place, it really is devastating not just to the people in Toledo, but to the economy. And the response is the concern Mr. Speaker. We cannot prevent natural disasters. We cannot stop wild fires but we can respond accordingly Mr. speaker and when I visited Trio village in Toledo East, about four families, I have gotten the chance to see their homes completely destroyed. And, the response of the government is completely inadequate.”