Important Note: This Internet version of 7 News is a verbatum
transcript of our evening television news script. Many interviews on our newscast
are conducted in Creole. In the interest of clarity for our foreign readers,
we attempt to paraphrase the Creole quotes in English
Caye Caulker residents have recently proved they are willing to protest and stand up for their community, as they did when their police station property was being put up for sale.
But last night villagers came out to protest against the justice system for, they believe, setting a guilty man free, and also not dignifying the victim's family with the reasons for his acquittal.
Jaleeza Roberts reports:
The streets of Caye Caulker resounded with chants of "We Want Justice For Leslie Verde" as family members, friends, and residents marched through the island demanding answers following the acquittal of Juan Carlos Novelo, who had been charged with the November 2023 murder of his common-law wife, Leslie Verde. The protest came just days after Justice Candace Nanton found Novelo not guilty, with the court indicating that written reasons for the decision will be provided at a later date. We spoke to Leslie's sister who said that they are still unsure why he was acquitted:
Heidi Lopez, Sister of Leslie Verde "We want to get the written from the judge, you know, to find out the reason, the conclusion why she found this man not guilty. And I feel like they just did the verdict and they didn't even wait for us, and like I just, we feel down, we feel very disappointed and we want justice for her."
"Everything that came to the court like with the evidence they had, they had video footage, they have the doctors what he said that she was murdered and all how they found her. The thing is that they brought all those evidence."
"When I heard the verdict, I believe and I know deep in my heart this man is guilty. You know, where we live is like a dead end. There's no more streets, there's no more anything. There's just one street to get to that house and everything to me accused this man."
The emotional toll of the case was perhaps most evident in the voices of Leslie's children. With permission from the family and requests made by the children to speak, this is what they had to say:
Omar Chuc, Son of Deceased "I just want to say that we need justice for my mom and because this was not a fair case to myself and then I love my mom so much."
Jaleeza Roberts: "How did you feel when this happened to your mom some years ago?"
Omar Chuc, Son of Deceased "I feel devastated because I wasn't there for her."
Jaleeza Roberts: "What has life been like without your mom?"
Omar Chuc, Son of Deceased "Hard."
"I was crying for her and like I didn't have a mom to stand beside when stuff happened and thing."
Alexia Chuc, Daughter of Deceased "I remember she was a kind, loving person, hardworking, dependent woman."
"I feel broken because like she raised me up as small and my dad too, but it really hurt because when I go to school, when I come out I got no one like you know, when I like do good stuff I can't go to her like I used to do so it really hurt me so much."
Her niece, Riannie Verde, who discovered Leslie's body in 2023, said the acquittal reopened emotional wounds:
Riannie Verde, Niece of Leslie Verde "I found my aunt and it was very hard for me growing up because Leslie was like a mom to me just like how Heidi Reyes is a mom to me. I didn't grow up with a mom so it's very hard and it was just so many emotions in me that I couldn't really control."
"It disappoints me to see this because he shouldn't have been let out, we don't deserve this as a family."
Leslie's brother Edwardo Arceo also criticized the justice system, saying the case should concern every Belizean. He said the family's burden has extended far beyond the courtroom, as relatives have had to step in to raise his sister's children:
Edwardo Arceo, Brother of Leslie Verde "I have evidence on a WhatsApp that she said she was fighting him hard because of jealousness that he believed she was with somebody else on that night, and I was the person who she was with, I'm the oldest brother."
"The justice system is failing us as Belizeans. This can happen to you, it can happen to anybody and we don't have justice."
"I feel so bad bout what happened, but it's more about the kids that she left behind and the family has to work hand in hand to keep these three children growing up, going to school, feeding them. It's a burden on the family and we are bearing with it on a daily basis."
"It affects them mentally, physically and financially because she was there for these kids. When she collect she take them out, she spend time with them, she make sure they eat on time. It's nothing that can replace a mother."
Also joining the march was Caye Caulker Chairperson Seleny Villanueva-Pott, who remembered Leslie as a beloved community member. She thought it would be an open and shut case:
Seleny Villanueva-Pott, Caye Caulker Chairperson "Leslie grew up here, she went to primary school here, she was an integral part of the community, she was a well-known waitress across Caye Caulker."
"We thought that this would have been an easy case where we would have gotten justice, but that was not the case."
"We would hope that the family is given enough time to appeal, then the family would be able to get justice, that's what we want."
"We're a small close-knit community and I'm very happy to note that the support is still there."
As the family continues to mourn Leslie Verde's death, the message was clear, they want justice and they want it now. Jaleeza Roberts, 7 News.
Of course, that can only come through an appeal initiated by the DPP-and no decision on that can be made until the trial judge gives the reasons for her decision.
Only the DPP can appeal a murder acquittal, so will she? We contacted her and she said, "I think it's best to await the written decision of the trial judge before I comment."
John Pinelo had been serving as Acting Chief Forest Officer before going on leave in mid-June after being accused of bribery and extortion by businessman Cesar Godinez. Four weeks later, he has returned to work but is now back in his substantive role as Deputy Forest Officer.
In recent weeks, Godinez made claims which were contradicted by Pinelo according to Minister Orlando Habet. But what made the Deputy come back? We asked Landy:
Reporter- "Has the investigation been completed?"
Voice of: Orlando Habet, Minister of Sustainable Development "Practically, yes. The report that we received was reviewed by a small committee along with the Chief Executive Officer. That investigation was based on the official report. We can't go on what was on the media. There's no living proof. As you know, if you don't have, if you get something that is just by word of mouth, doesn't have as much value as if you get something that is written with a signature. So he has returned to work. He will operate as the Deputy Chief Forest Officer. And then the Ministry will make the recommendation to the Public Service. The Public Service communicates with the Public Services Commission. And hopefully pretty soon we can get somebody appointed as acting Chief Forest Officer until we get a Chief Forest Officer."
Reporter- "So the position won't be given to him?"
Orlando Habet, Minister of Sustainable Development "Not as yet, no."
Reporter- "He can apply or is it that he's been discounted as?"
Orlando Habet, Minister of Sustainable Development "No, no, no, he can apply. And the Public Services Commission will decide whether or not he qualifies for getting that position."
Reporter- "So that committee cleared him of any wrongdoing?"
Orlando Habet, Minister of Sustainable Development "Maybe not as put it in those words. I think that there's not enough evidence provided."
And while the Minister said there was not enough evidence provided and called the media reports hearsay, we showed multiple screenshots and documentary evidence which offer proof of Godinez's claim.
In his letter of complaint to the Forestry Department, Godinez also says, quote, "I am in possession of evidence to support my complaints. I can be reached at my cell number." They never reached out to him.
A BDF volunteer soldier was today sentenced to 17 years and 10 months imprisonment after he was convicted of raping a 17-year-old girl.
31-year-old Mark Nolberto reportedly hit the girl in her head with a metal cup, forced her to perform oral sex on him, then raped her while recording the act.
On July 3rd, Nolberto was found guilty of two counts of rape; however, back in April, he was originally charged with 4 counts of rape and one count of attempted rape. The first count of rape was alleged to have occurred on April 5th, while the other two counts reportedly happened the next day. He was found guilty of the latter two, which were linked to the recording that was found on his cellphone.
The 4th count of rape and the count of attempted rape were dismissed following a no-case submission.
His departure last week Thursday wasn't announced and neither was his return today-but we do know that the Prime Minister held high-level meetings in Washington yesterday.
A release from the US State Department says, "Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau met…with Belizean Prime Minister John Briceno in Washington, D.C. They expressed mutual appreciation for the wide-ranging bilateral cooperation on key issues...In particular, Deputy Secretary Landau and Prime Minister Briceno discussed opportunities to advance our partnership through the Millennium Challenge Corporation compact, promoting security cooperation against narco-trafficking, countering illegal immigration, and strengthening trade and commercial ties." End quote.
But what the release doesn't say is that they most likely discussed the troublesome issues of the Cuban medical brigade in Belize. The US has been and continues to exert pressure to end the program, while Belize has been resisting.
Notably, according to our sources, the PM was accompanied by Leader of Government Business Eamon Courtenay and not Foreign Minister Francis Fonseca.
It's been 17 months since one former public officer won a case against the Government, but she says she still hasn't been paid. The former worker, who asked to remain anonymous, says that she developed a respiratory illness from the office she worked at after she was transferred to the Income Tax Department. Though she reached out for help, the Ministry of Public Service ignored her, and her medical bills have been extensive. Now, she's hoping that the Government will finally pay her what they owe her. She came by our studio today.
Voice of: Former Public Officer "I started getting sick and I went to the first doctor and they treated me. I wrote a letter, because she said I needed to be in a well-ventilated area, Public Service did nothing, they didn't transfer me. I went to two other doctors, they wrote the same thing, another letter to Public Service. And then I ended up in Chetumal, and the doctor told me if you don't get out of there you can become chronic, and that did happen. I ended up going to Merida, being on oral vaccines for about 2 years. And then up to now, I ended up going to a lawyer and I won my case because I couldn't continue working in the office, I got really sick, I almost lost my life in there. And I won my case-17 months, and no compensation from Government. I've been to Ministry of Finance in Belmopan, they have me in a turnaround, I've been to the office where I worked, the head office in Belize City, turnaround and nothing, no payment."
"It's been 7 years without a salary. I almost lost my house, my house came up in the newspaper for sale and it's just been hard without a salary. And having my medication at the time cost $760, just one of the oral vaccines was $90. I had a nasal spray that I used to use that was $115 and I couldn't get it anywhere but Chetumal. Imagine without a salary and having a medical bill of over $650. Every time I go to Merida it's $2,000 I have to take, and then the medication is not something I can buy over the counter, it's something that the doctor mixes and then I have to put it on ice and bring it in with me."
Reporter- "If you don't get your payment, will you take them back to court?"
Voice of: Former Public Officer "I was thinking about that, but the first case took almost 5 years to go to court. I mean, will I have to wait another 5 years? I mean, that's just too much time. What I could have done last year with my money I can't do this year because everything has gone up so much."
We did reach out to the Attorney General, who said that he would familiarize himself with the case and respond next week.
If it weren't for a 7News post, it's an incident that might have slipped completely under the radar.
But after we reported on Wednesday that Stoney Anson Ferguson had disrespected and assaulted Placencia police while also damaging their mobile four days earlier, suddenly things started to move.
No less than the Minister of National Security Julius Espat made it known that no one was above the law and he would have to face charges.
And so he has. Yesterday Ferguson was arrested and charged for aggravated assault and insulting words. He was granted bail and awaits another court date.
On Saturday Ferguson allegedly drove off from police, assaulted an officer, and shattered a police windshield.
Tonight we continue looking at a leaked BDF tender document. Yes, we have shown you screenshots for the thousands of sub-ten-thousand-dollar payments that politically connected suppliers have received.
But the tender document exposes the quite incredible volume of meat that was paid for to be supplied to the BDF. And the sheer volume of it does raise eyebrows. We're talking half a million pounds of only meat per year, while the prices paid would make anyone hang their head.
Jules Vasquez has been drilling down in the numbers and here's his report:
How much meat can the BDF eat? That is the question.
This leaked tender document shows that in 2023/2024, they were consuming 42,190 pounds per month-along with 16 buckets of pigtail.
Now, let's say they are feeding 1,000 soldiers daily at their bases-and it is not nearly that many-then everyone would have to be eating about one and a half pounds of meat per day, which is excessive and way above average consumption-which is maybe 6 ounces. And we also know that the soldiers out in the field are eating like this: canned sausage and rice and beans.
Most of the meat purchased for the BDF was whole chicken: 25,520 pounds per month. That works out to an incredible 306,240 in a single year-a figure so large it boggles the mind.
And the prices they are paying for those meats are also questionable. We already showed you how these baby back ribs in 2026 are still cheaper than what they were paying for in 2023.
And, the same for chicken. The politically favored Kukulcan was selling it to the BDF for $3.00 per pound in 2023, when in 2026-after all the recent price increases-Quality Poultry is selling it wholesale for $2.68 per pound right now.
Now the difference may seem marginal, but when you work it out over thousands of pounds it adds up to almost a hundred thousand dollars in savings that could have been realized if the Ministry of Defence was purchasing from a real supplier instead of a politically connected shell company.
The price difference-if compared to today's prices-is $97,414.80, suggesting that buying the same quantity of whole chicken in 2026 would cost almost 100k less.
In 2023, Three Star-a long-established real meat and poultry business with multiple storefronts-sold chicken to the Ministry of Defence at $2.95 per pound, but they were only contracted to provide 970 pounds per month while Kukulcan-a company co-owned by the then Minister of Defense's secretary, and formally registered in 2021-provided 24,550 pounds. And that company owns no poultry farms, is not a registered poultry producer-basically, a middleman with a political connect contracted to provide chicken-tens of thousands of pounds of it-at above-market prices.
In 2023, if Three Star-which quoted $2.95 per pound, which is still expensive-had provided the full amount, Government would have realized annual savings of 15 thousand dollars.
So we know from this that the Ministry of Defence was not after the best product for the best price, but about the profits for politically connected companies. The entire scheme, this enormous quantity of meats and the prices paid raise questions about whether all this meat they paid for ever even arrived at the BDF and whether the purchases accurately reflect actual consumption, or was the Ministry paying for meat that never reached, or maybe it reached and ended up in the hands of politically connected persons or even restaurant owners? Tonight, there continues to be more questions than answers.
While chicken was the meat purchased in the greatest volume, the BDF also purchased 200,000 pounds of other meat, bringing the total to about half a million pounds annually. That does not include breakfast meats and canned meats, which were also purchased.
Again, that information is from the 2023-2024 tender document. We requested the tender documents for the most recent year but were told there are national security considerations that prevent their release. We plan to challenge that.
Yesterday, the Ministry of Public Utilities took another step toward modernizing the transportation sector by participating in regional discussions on the Promotion of Electric Mobility in SICA Countries initiative, a project funded by Taiwan.
As part of the project, feasibility studies will be carried out in Belize to evaluate the implementation of electric buses and the supporting charging network. We spoke with CEO in the Ministry, Dr. Leroy Almendarez, and this is what he had to say about e-mobility:
Dr. Leroy Almendarez, CEO - MPUELE "Data will tell you whether or not you should go, because there is a cost to that kind of transition from what you currently utilize, diesel-generated buses or gas buses, looking at e-mobility. And so I believe that in terms of the information that we got, it does tell us that, yes, it's feasible, it's viable. But the question is, how do you convince not only the current road users, what would be the government's continued policy? Or is there a need to change the policy in terms of introduction of new legislation? You know, there's a national bus company. But then when you look at the fact that so many of the buses that are being utilized are other vehicles, are gas buses. And so to make that transition, I'm sure the big question from those users would be, well, how do I make that transition because of the cost? And my encouragement would always be, well, even that's why the banks are available, and I'm not saying that you need to go to do that. But the initial investment or the initial cost is usually the greatest cost that you need to make. But over the long run, in terms of the cost of using an e-vehicle as opposed to a gas vehicle, the cost savings will be great, because in terms of e-mobility, in fact, once that shows you that if you were to go from here to San Ignacio, it might take you $200 to fill a bus. Using an e-vehicle, it costs you about 50% of that or less."
On Thursday, 23 participants graduated from NEMO's second Community Emergency Response Team training. The participants hailed from San Antonio and Santa Cruz villages and received instruction in disaster preparedness, basic first aid, fire safety, and more. Here is a snippet of last night's graduation ceremony.
Henry Charles Usher, Minister of Disaster Risk Management "It is important that you understand how information and training works. An informed community makes better decisions. A trained community executes better plans, and that is what we want to achieve here in Santa Cruz, in San Antonio, on the island of Albion: better-equipped and better-trained community members."
"Having the information that you have, the training that you've gotten, it can save lives. And what is the slogan of NEMO? Preserving life and property. You are now a member of NEMO, you are now a part of the process that the country depends on to preserve life and to preserve property."
Virginie Andre, European Union Rep "Through this investment, the European Union has helped to translate regional and national resilience priorities into practical action that directly strengthens communities in Belize. Over the past years, the BRICKS program has had the privilege of supporting Belize across different aspects of its disaster management journey."
"This evening we celebrate more than the successful completion of training; we celebrate an investment in community leadership, preparedness, and more importantly, community service."
In an effort to combat the growing burden of non-communicable diseases in Belize, the Ministry of Health and Wellness officially launched its 'Belize MOVES' initiative yesterday afternoon at Sir George Brown Park in Belmopan. The campaign aims to promote healthier lifestyle habits nationwide. Here are highlights from the launch:
Kevin Bernard, Minister of Health and Wellness "Belize Moves is more than a program, it is a commitment, a commitment to prevention, a commitment to healthier communities, and a commitment to creating opportunities for every Belizean to live a longer, healthier and more active life. Over the years, Belize has made significant progress in improving the health of our people, yet despite these achievements, non-communicable diseases-heart disease, diabetes, cancer, and hypertension-continue to place a very heavy burden on our families, communities, and our health systems. As highlighted during the Belize Moves workshop this week, NCDs account for approximately 65% of all deaths in our country. Behind each statistic is a mother, a father, a brother, a sister, a friend, or a neighbor whose life has been impacted by preventable illnesses. These realities remind us that health cannot begin only when someone becomes sick, health begins long before that. It begins in our homes, schools, workplaces, and our communities, but it begins with prevention."
Dr. Heather Armstrong, Caribbean Public Health Agency "Today is another step in the journey which began in Jamaica in 2017, when Jamaica Moves encouraged people to include physical activity, healthy eating, and regular health checks in your daily lives. The campaign's success led CARICOM heads of government in 2018 to expand the module across the region as Caribbean Moves. Since then, several countries such as St. Kitts and Nevis, Grenada, St. Lucia, St. Vincent have joined Jamaica in moving this effort forward. With support from the Caribbean Development Bank, CARPHA was able to turn this regional vision into a framework for a socially inclusive and gender-responsive Caribbean Moves initiative, and this approach brings together different sectors, involves everyone in society, and is meant to last so each member state can create a national Moves program that fits its own context, culture, and needs."
Four primary school graduates-two girls and two boys-are the newest recipients of St. John's Credit Union's high school scholarship program. Jomarie Lanza attended today's awards ceremony and brings us the story:
Minister of Immigration Kareem Musa was also one of the speakers at the opening of the Diaspora Summit yesterday.
And while the Diaspora Summit talks about all kinds of engagement opportunities between those abroad and "those da yaad", what about voting?
Immigration Minister Kareem Musa says he enthusiastically supports it:
REPORTER- "What's your view on the criticism, participation from diaspora Belizeans should be limited in terms of the governance issues of Belize, because they don't live here?"
Kareem Musa, Minister of Immigration & Labour "No, I don't agree with that, because I think that they should have a say, and I am on record as having said that when it comes to voting in our general elections and city council elections, that we need to consider a possible amendment to the law to remove that three-month residency requirement and to make room for diaspora Belizeans to be able to come and register to vote, because that is a barrier that prevents them from registering, because they can't say, 'I live at this address for the last three months,' they live abroad. And so if it is that we can amend the legislation to say, 'Hey, I live in Chicago, this is my address, here's proof of the fact that I live there, but this is my family home in Belize City, or this is my family home in Cayo, and I want to be able to register there,' a simple amendment to the law can provide for that for them to be able to come home and vote during an election. And so that would then open it up, at least as an initial step, in allowing diaspora Belizeans to have a say in our elections."
A suspected case of human trafficking was reported by the Office of the Ombudsman prior to his departure. It involved nine young Haitian girls who entered Belize in mid-2023. The children ended up living in Spanish Lookout where most of them remain today. The now-former Ombudsman Gilbert Swaso has filed a Freedom of Information Act request to Attorney General Anthony Sylvestre, demanding clear answers. He insists that administrative transitions and a vacant constitutional post must not leave vulnerable children without protection or justice.
We asked the Minister of Immigration about it yesterday. Musa explained how they are currently working to address it:
Reporter "The former Ombudsman recently put out a release about four Haitian girls who he felt were trafficked into Belize and the authorities failed to act in any corrective or urgent fashion. Can you comment on that?"
Kareem Musa, Minister of Immigration & Labour "Yes, so prior to me taking up the post as Minister of Immigration, I believe it was sometime in the year 2023. It's not four, it's actually nine Haitian minors entered the country with two adult companions."
"They are not related to these nine Haitian minors, but from my understanding and information, they were the foster home taking care of these girls in Haiti. They received, again, based on information provided to me, they received permission to travel out of the country, but temporary, not to be permanent."
"When they came into the country in 2023, they were allowed into the country based on a humanitarian consideration because of the turmoil, as you know, that has been taking place in Haiti. Since then, the Ministry of Human Development has carried out social inquiry report that is going to be carried out to determine the best interest of the children, whether it is best for them to stay here. I don't know whether the parents are requesting the children back, but in my humble opinion, if it is that the parents in Haiti are requesting the children back, then they should be returned with their parents."
"But like I said, from my knowledge and information, they had received clearance to leave, but on a temporary basis. So we've been in communication with the various UN agencies as it relates to this particular case."
"And so we are going to be carrying out, along with the Human Development Ministry, this social inquiry report to determine the best interests and best next steps for these children."
A leader of the Mennonite community told us that the girls are living in Spanish Lookout and that several of the girls are old enough to travel and are studying in North America.
In recent world news, 9 CARICOM countries have received visa waivers for Spain. But, not Belize. That caused quite a stir online since it seems to many that Belize is consistently losing out on these visa-on-arrival exemptions.
A release issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs pushed back on that narrative saying, quote, "The Foreign Ministry… has, for a number of years, been actively engaged with both Spain and the EU in pursuit of a full Schengen visa waiver for Belizean nationals." End quote.
So far, that effort has only made Belizeans with biometric passports eligible for multiple-entry Schengen visas valid for up to five years. So, still no waiver.
One of the speculations as to why Belize has not been added to the list for visa waivers is because of the perceived weakness of our passport. Minister of Immigration Kareem Musa rejected that argument:
Kareem Musa, Minister of Immigration & Labour "I've heard the Minister of Foreign Affairs speak on that particular issue, and from what I understand, that was a consideration that has been in the pipeline for quite some time. And so it's only now coming to the end of that process, the deliberations."
"Whether where we stand, I know what I can tell you in terms of the security features of our passport have improved significantly with the infrared features, the barcode and all of that. So the strength of the passport has definitely improved in terms of security."
"And I'm sure that we can always do better in terms of improving the overall strength of our passport across the world."
Reporter "So in terms of notability, does that add value to a country's passport?"
Kareem Musa, Minister of Immigration & Labour "Absolutely. The security features, absolutely."
Reporter "Now, the notability, as this is a country that is notable and their passport holds some sort of weight when you go to a country. Does that add some sort of?"
Kareem Musa, Minister of Immigration & Labour "I believe, of course, our passport has a lot of value when it comes to notability. bsolutely."
Sources tell us a major obstacle to securing the Schengen waiver is that over the years, Belize has issued numerous diplomatic passports to politically connected individuals who are not official state representatives.
We also asked Musa about the first transferee that was sent to Belize under the safe third country agreement and what his Ministry has implemented to cater to those persons who come in as asylum seekers.
Kareem Musa, Minister of Immigration & Labour "So as you know, a few months ago the Ministry of Foreign Affairs signed off on the third safe country with the United States of America. We have received our first asylum seeker a few weeks ago. That particular individual, I believe, is from Haiti."
"Our ministry plays a very critical role in the entire process. Of course, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has the lead on it, but our refugees department specifically, along with the UNHCR, are responsible for integrating those individuals into society, providing shelter for them, providing food for them, helping them to get on their feet with the different processes and integrating into our Belizean society."
"And so our refugees department plays a very critical role in the entire process."
Belize's Rastafarian community is set to gather tomorrow for the 134th Earthstrong Night Celebration honoring their God figure, Haile Selassie I. The event is set to begin at 6:00 p.m. at the BTL Park and today we spoke to two of the organizers:
And that's all we have for you on this Friday night-we close with highlights of the Garifuna Collective's opening night of their European tour at the Jazz Cafe in London.
Enjoy, and join me back here at the same time on Monday night….
Have a safe weekend, goodnight...
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Caye Caulker residents have recently proved they are willing to protest and stand up for their community, as they did when their police station property was being put up for sale.
"We want to get the written from the judge, you know, to find out the reason, the conclusion why she found this man not guilty. And I feel like they just did the verdict and they didn't even wait for us, and like I just, we feel down, we feel very disappointed and we want justice for her."
"I just want to say that we need justice for my mom and because this was not a fair case to myself and then I love my mom so much."
Alexia Chuc, Daughter of Deceased
"I found my aunt and it was very hard for me growing up because Leslie was like a mom to me just like how Heidi Reyes is a mom to me. I didn't grow up with a mom so it's very hard and it was just so many emotions in me that I couldn't really control."
"I have evidence on a WhatsApp that she said she was fighting him hard because of jealousness that he believed she was with somebody else on that night, and I was the person who she was with, I'm the oldest brother."
"Leslie grew up here, she went to primary school here, she was an integral part of the community, she was a well-known waitress across Caye Caulker."
John Pinelo had been serving as Acting Chief Forest Officer before going on leave in mid-June after being accused of bribery and extortion by businessman Cesar Godinez. Four weeks later, he has returned to work but is now back in his substantive role as Deputy Forest Officer.
"Practically, yes. The report that we received was reviewed by a small committee along with the Chief Executive Officer. That investigation was based on the official report. We can't go on what was on the media. There's no living proof. As you know, if you don't have, if you get something that is just by word of mouth, doesn't have as much value as if you get something that is written with a signature. So he has returned to work. He will operate as the Deputy Chief Forest Officer. And then the Ministry will make the recommendation to the Public Service. The Public Service communicates with the Public Services Commission. And hopefully pretty soon we can get somebody appointed as acting Chief Forest Officer until we get a Chief Forest Officer."
His departure last week Thursday wasn't announced and neither was his return today-but we do know that the Prime Minister held high-level meetings in Washington yesterday.
It's been 17 months since one former public officer won a case against the Government, but she says she still hasn't been paid. The former worker, who asked to remain anonymous, says that she developed a respiratory illness from the office she worked at after she was transferred to the Income Tax Department. Though she reached out for help, the Ministry of Public Service ignored her, and her medical bills have been extensive. Now, she's hoping that the Government will finally pay her what they owe her. She came by our studio today.
If it weren't for a 7News post, it's an incident that might have slipped completely under the radar.
Tonight we continue looking at a leaked BDF tender document. Yes, we have shown you screenshots for the thousands of sub-ten-thousand-dollar payments that politically connected suppliers have received.
Yesterday, the Ministry of Public Utilities took another step toward modernizing the transportation sector by participating in regional discussions on the Promotion of Electric Mobility in SICA Countries initiative, a project funded by Taiwan.
"Data will tell you whether or not you should go, because there is a cost to that kind of transition from what you currently utilize, diesel-generated buses or gas buses, looking at e-mobility. And so I believe that in terms of the information that we got, it does tell us that, yes, it's feasible, it's viable. But the question is, how do you convince not only the current road users, what would be the government's continued policy? Or is there a need to change the policy in terms of introduction of new legislation? You know, there's a national bus company. But then when you look at the fact that so many of the buses that are being utilized are other vehicles, are gas buses. And so to make that transition, I'm sure the big question from those users would be, well, how do I make that transition because of the cost? And my encouragement would always be, well, even that's why the banks are available, and I'm not saying that you need to go to do that. But the initial investment or the initial cost is usually the greatest cost that you need to make. But over the long run, in terms of the cost of using an e-vehicle as opposed to a gas vehicle, the cost savings will be great, because in terms of e-mobility, in fact, once that shows you that if you were to go from here to San Ignacio, it might take you $200 to fill a bus. Using an e-vehicle, it costs you about 50% of that or less."
On Thursday, 23 participants graduated from NEMO's second Community Emergency Response Team training. The participants hailed from San Antonio and Santa Cruz villages and received instruction in disaster preparedness, basic first aid, fire safety, and more. Here is a snippet of last night's graduation ceremony.
"It is important that you understand how information and training works. An informed community makes better decisions. A trained community executes better plans, and that is what we want to achieve here in Santa Cruz, in San Antonio, on the island of Albion: better-equipped and better-trained community members."
Virginie Andre, European Union Rep
Kevin Bernard, Minister of Health and Wellness
Dr. Heather Armstrong, Caribbean Public Health Agency
Kareem Musa, Minister of Immigration & Labour
A suspected case of human trafficking was reported by the Office of the Ombudsman prior to his departure. It involved nine young Haitian girls who entered Belize in mid-2023. The children ended up living in Spanish Lookout where most of them remain today. The now-former Ombudsman Gilbert Swaso has filed a Freedom of Information Act request to Attorney General Anthony Sylvestre, demanding clear answers. He insists that administrative transitions and a vacant constitutional post must not leave vulnerable children without protection or justice.
In recent world news, 9 CARICOM countries have received visa waivers for Spain. But, not Belize. That caused quite a stir online since it seems to many that Belize is consistently losing out on these visa-on-arrival exemptions.
