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" A $10,000 fine
" $5,000 of that to be paid directly to Cain
" A full refund of the $3,000 she initially paid him
The ruling said that If those payments aren't made by March 21st, Rodriguez would be suspended from practicing law until payment is confirmed. But, we have since learnt that the matter has been stayed because he has appealed the decision to the Court of Appeal.

Stolen SUV Recovered

Police have recovered a stolen vehicle linked to an aggravated burglary reported last week at a home along the Old Northern Highway.

One week ago we told you about the aggravated burglary at an address near Mile 11 on the Old Northern Highway. Thieves made off with a sky blue Honda Pilot SUV,.

Well, yesterday, police found the stolen vehicle abandoned on a feeder road about a half mile out of the Maxboro Community. The battery and sound system had been stolen. Several other items were found nearby.

No arrests have been reported at this time, but police continue to follow leads in the case.

Belizean Sugar, Pepper, Rum and Timber Could Suffer from Trump Tariffs

As US President Donald Trump completes 100 days in office - it's been a hundred. days like no other. And in the process, he has up-ended the world trade order, indiscriminately increasing tariffs on countries large and small. For CARICOM member states, who need the US market, it has caused anxiety among exporters.

The Minister of Foreign Trade discussed the affected sectors in a Zoom interview:

Francis Fonseca, Minister of Foreign Trade
"I think the key areas are - that we're concerned about obviously sugar as I mentioned earlier, we're concerned about pepper sauces. Marie Sharp in particular. They have very serious concerns because almost all of their product goes through the US market. Certainly over 80% of their product is sold in the US market. And you know, these these goods, pepper sauces have a small sort of margin in terms of a price competitiveness that they're concerned about."

"Also wood, wood products is another area that we're concerned about. And rum, rum, generally the market for rum. Again, we sell most of our rum. We sell to the United States. So again, they're we're concerned."

Fonseca explained how Belize and CARICOM are tying to engage the US for the best possible trade outcome.

Francis Fonseca, Minister of Foreign Trade
"So it's really, at this point, it's really a wait and see to see whether or not further exemptions will be granted. One of the key concerns of, of Caricom and of, obviously of Belize is, is the CBI, the ongoing relevance and preservation of the Caribbean Basin Initiative which provides specific, you know, special treatment, if you like, for duty free access to certain to, to, to the US market for certain products."

"So we're very concerned about that. For example, sugar is a big one. So all of that is under review and under discussion."

"And Secretary Rubio pledged to, to to continue to review the matter, to look into it. It's not directly on the obviously under the State Department, but he would engage with his counterparts there. And look at it and, you know, he took note of the concerns expressed by Belize and Caricom on this issue."

"You know, people should understand that we have a massive trade surplus with the US. So it's not so it's it's it's really not in any way any of the, trade with the Caricom, with Belize is not impacting the US negatively in any way. In fact, it's quite the opposite."

"It's I think it's their interest to review the matter, to look into it and hopefully after the period of review, that there will be changes that, you know, what we can all agree on."

Belize Pays Cuban Doctors Directly

Belize has also had to be skittish regarding its position with. Cuban doctors. The US has threatened to revoke the visas of government officials for what it calls the forced labour of Cuban doctors. But Belize has rejected that, saying Cuban doctors are paid individually - and that the money does not go back to the Cuban state:

Francis Fonseca, Minister of Foreign Affairs
"Obviously, we have a new administration in the United States. And, you know, their policies towards Cuba are different from ours. But, you know, what they've asked for is information about and they're asking this to every country that has a program with Cuba."

"You know, you should know that there are over 50, I think, 52 countries in the world that has the presence of the Cuban medical brigade, including some big, big, rich countries like Saudi Arabia. They have a Cuban medical brigade. So in many countries, a few in Europe, many in Africa. But as, as you rightly said, Caricom, we have quite, you know, a strong presence in Caricom."

"So what the new administration was asking us was for information, information. What is the nature of the program that you have here in Belize?"

"And so we responded with information about our program. So we had to provide, of course, factual, accurate information. And which is exactly our position, we, in terms of, of Cuba, our government pays these medical professionals directly, so they have their own bank accounts. We paid all those accounts and their monies into those accounts directly."

Chamber's 105th AGM

Last night, the Belize Chamber of Commerce & Industry hosted its 105th Annual General Meeting at Old Belize.

The Keynote speaker was Dr. Osmond Martinez, Minister of State in the Ministry of Economic Development. He reaffirmed the government's commitment to partnering with the private sector and praised the BCCI for its collaborative efforts.

BCCI President Katherine Meighan reflected on the Chamber's growth and unveiled a five-year strategic plan focused on financial independence, employment generation, innovation, and policy reform.

In a press release, the BCCI underscored its role as a driving force in business development and economic progress in Belize.