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
Tonight, there is a power shift in Belmopan-and it begins at the Ministry of Home Affairs.
After an all-day Cabinet meeting-as might have been expected-the Home Affairs portfolio was taken from Julius Espat, who had been holding it on an interim basis since June. The new Minister in charge of police will be Michel Chebat-but he will also be in charge of Defence in a resurrected Ministry of National Security.
According to a release from the Prime Minister's Office just a few minutes ago, Chebat will be the Minister of National Security, while retaining Energy & Ports.
Ramon "Monchie" Cervantes will take up Chebat's Public Utilities portfolio, and Logistics, and add to that Solid Waste Management. Ramiro Ramirez will remain as Minister of State.
Dr. Osmond Martinez also steps up to take on a full portfolio; he is being appointed as the Minister of Economic Transformation.
Henry Charles Usher will now officially take over the portfolio responsibility for Enterprise-which he was holding on an interim basis.
And while Julius Espat-who had said he wanted the Ministry of Home Affairs-is the only one slighted, the press release offers him a consolation prize; it says, quote: "The Prime Minister wishes to especially thank Hon. Julius Espat for his stellar work as the interim Ministry of Home Affairs." End quote.
There was a dramatic development today in the high-profile sexual assault trial involving senior diplomat Alexis Roberto Rosado.
Rosado, 56, discharged one of his two attorneys as his trial entered its second day in the Belmopan High Court.
Rosado is facing three indictments: rape, sexual assault, and aggravated assault arising from allegations made by a woman who claims the sexual abuse began when she was a minor and continued for years.
The trial began yesterday before Justice Natalie Creary Dixon. But before proceedings could get underway today, Rosado dismissed his attorney Leeroy Banner, leaving him represented only by attorney Richard "Dickie" Bradley, who was not present in court at the time. Banner told us, quote, "I wasn't fired but Ambassador wants another lead attorney as Mr Dickie is unwell. So the adjournment is for Ambassador Rosado to secure another lead counsel."
Rosado then asked the court for time to retain another attorney. Justice Dixon granted the adjournment, but only until 9:00 tomorrow morning when the trial is scheduled to resume.
The development meant that Crown witnesses who were expected to testify today did not take the stand. Four additional Crown witnesses were expected to testify today, including the alleged victim, her mother, and two other witnesses.
Their testimony is now expected to continue when the trial resumes.
The allegations against Rosado date back to his arrest in 2022, when he was charged with rape, sexual assault, and aggravated assault.
The prosecution alleges that the sexual abuse began when the complainant was 13 years old and continued until 2021. The allegations include claims of digital and oral forced penetration, with the complainant alleging that the abuse became progressively more serious and culminated in an alleged rape in 2013.
Rosado has not been convicted of any of the offenses and remains presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in court.
There was already a setback to the trial yesterday. Banner had requested an adjournment at the start of proceedings, but Justice Dixon refused the request, noting that the case had already been adjourned numerous times and that the trial needed to commence.
Rosado is facing a minimum of eight years imprisonment and up to life imprisonment for rape if convicted.
He is one of the most senior diplomats in Belize's Foreign Service and is currently serving as Belize's Assistant Agent at the ICJ under Assad Shoman. He was also recently celebrated at the launch of a book co-authored with Shoman.
He has held various ambassadorial posts, including High Commissioner for Belize to the UK.
Because of his seniority and sustained prominence, it is one of the most high-profile trials involving a senior unelected public official Belize has seen in decades.
Another week, and still no decision has been made as to the status of benched Ministers of Defence Oscar Mira and Florencio Marin Jr.
And that's because the Auditor General's interim report on alleged conflicts of interest in the BDF procurement process is still not finished.
It was scheduled to be finished two weeks ago-it is now being promised for "the near future," with no fixed date announced.
The CEO at the Ministry of Defence told us via Zoom today he has already been interviewed twice:
Francis Usher, CEO, Ministry of Defence "So I think that there was a sort of a misunderstanding with what the Prime Minister said. The Auditor General did indicate that... that there were three lines of inquiry for the audit. The first is the perceived conflict of interest, and then there were two others that I believe were the value for money and one other. I can check my records and get back to you, but there were three lines of inquiry. And the initial line of inquiry was the one that she hoped to complete by the end of September. I would expect that in the near future she will complete that initial line of inquiry, but the total audit report-especially since she was asked to go as far back as 2015, so she's doing from 2015 to May 2026-I would expect that that will take some time to complete. But I'm pretty sure that in the near future she will submit that initial report based on her first line of inquiry."
Jomarie Lanza: "Have you been interviewed as yet?"
Francis Usher: "I had an initial entry interview a while back, and I have had one interview already, yes."
Jomarie Lanza: "You know the different ministers are up in the air right now, being that two of these ministers are on leave. And so can you confirm that, yes, it's still on track that she needs to deliver that still and it won't be until February?"
Francis Usher: "I don't... I think her initial... her first report will come out long before February, yes. Okay, and I think that that first report will be based on the line of inquiry for the perceived conflict of interest, and yes, that should be coming out long before February."
And there's another pressing matter for the Ministry of Defence. An AI flyer has been circulating on social media saying, quote, "Urgent Food Shortage - Belize Coast Guard," alleging that sailors and officers are suffering from an acute food scarcity.
But is it true? Well, we have not gotten any independent confirmation-and today, CEO at the Ministry of Defence, Francis Usher, said it's untrue, but conceded it's not completely baseless:
Francis Usher, CEO, Ministry of Defence "Misinformation, and it came from a disgruntled officer. So there are some-or there were some-administrative delays that we addressed. There was never a food shortage where people were starving, and there was never a case that the operations were affected fully. The administrative delays... caused... various reasons were attributed to that, but I had meetings again this morning with the finance officer and the logistics officer of the Coast Guard. We're all set, we're good to go, and there are... it's not... the sky isn't falling down as portrayed in that great flyer."
Jomarie Lanza: "Have you all found out where it's coming from, and will that officer be dealt with accordingly?"
Francis Usher: "We are confident we know where it came from, but... well, that's an internal matter that we're looking at."
There's been an arrest for a kidnapping in the north-but you can rest assured it's not for the kidnapping of the century; that would be Joseph Budna, of course.
This arrest is for an alleged abduction that occurred in the Corozal District involving two men who are believed to have purchased stolen goods from another person.
ACP Romero told us they had two suspects in custody, and today they were charged. Police formally arrested and charged 28-year-old Alex Marcus Lewis, a Belizean laborer, and 40-year-old Brian Ezikel Dena, a Belizean construction worker, for the crimes of kidnapping and threat of death.
The Prime Minister is expected to travel to Thailand for an IMF meeting in the next few days, so he's been busy in Belmopan. Today, he led a Cabinet meeting, and yesterday, it was the National Security Council.
A release says he chaired an extraordinary meeting of the National Security Council to discuss the airspace incursion of a Guatemalan military reconnaissance aircraft on September 24th, 2026.
The meeting confirms what our reporting has strongly suggested: that the flight was part of, quote, "a regional counternarcotics operation that did not include Belize." End quote. We take that to mean the Guatemalan aircraft was flying under the direction of their U.S. partners.
Still, the National Security Council directed the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade to officially request the OAS to investigate the incident, in addition to the Ministry's earlier request to the OAS to seek clarification of the incident from Guatemala.
And though a narco operation was held in Belize's airspace without its consent, knowledge, or involvement, the release says, quote: "The National Security Council also considered the wider context of regional counternarcotics efforts and reaffirmed Belize's unwavering commitment to national and regional efforts with partner nations." End quote.
And while that part sounds like Belize was not a trusted partner in the operation, the release ends by saying, quote: "Following multiple incursions by the Guatemalan Armed Forces in Belize's southern maritime space and threats of the use of force on the Sarstoon in recent months, the Government of Belize rejects this most recent violation of Belize's territorial sovereignty by the Guatemalan Armed Forces and calls on Guatemala to instead abide by the spirit of long-established bilateral confidence-building measures..." end quote.
Last night, we told you all about the history of the Swing Bridge and the temporary bridges used when it's being repaired.
But this time, the temporary bridge-with its concrete spans-will be made permanent. But will it obstruct the movement of vessels along the river? Jaleeza Roberts has answers:
Last night, we told you about the new bridge spanning the Haulover Creek between Regent Street West and Hyde's Lane. It was supposed to be temporary-but now it's going to be permanent.
But some of our viewers asked: how boats will be able to pass beneath the new structure?
When we visited today, we saw the Senor Caracol skiff slide under smoothly.
According to Chief Engineer Evondale Moody, the new bridge provides 6.4 feet of vertical clearance for marine traffic, compared to approximately 4.2 feet of clearance beneath the existing Swing Bridge. Moody tells us, quote: "The new structure provides approximately 2.2 feet of additional vertical clearance, which will improve the ability of smaller marine vessels to pass beneath the bridge." End quote.
This elevation drawing shows that the bridge provides "0.3 meters more clearance beneath the structure than the existing bridge, allowing safe boat passage even at high tide."
So while bridges spanning our rivers may never swing as they once did-the new norm of passing underneath will continue to prevail in high tide or low.
And from a bridge to a bus run... tensions appear to have subsided for the A. Tillett's Jr. Bus Line in Orange Walk. Last night, we told you that they were unable to renew their road service permit to conduct runs from Shipyard through Guinea Grass to Orange Walk Town.
Defiantly, owner and UDP candidate German Tillett continued to run his buses on that route today. Here's what Tillett told us about it via phone this evening:
German Tillett, Owner, A. Tillett's Jr. Bus Line "Up to right now in the evening, the bus left the Orange Walk market at 4:00 in the afternoon, and there was not one problem-the bus has reached the village without a problem."
"I did speak with the CEO, Mr. Williams, yesterday evening after we did the interview. I did speak with him, and he did tell me... my response to him and to you is the same. We have had that run since we were beginning to run here in the villages of Orange Walk as Tillett Bus. And just this afternoon I was trying to get in contact with him, and he did call me back. So he did tell me that, yes, he has seen the applications, and indeed my road service permits are dated from way back. It is not a new road service permit, and he assured me that I will get the permit again and I can continue running my bus as normal. So I will continue right now running buses, and I will go to Belmopan and apply for the road service permit again, and well, first God, I will get the run again and we will continue serving Shipyard and Guinea Grass as usual."
Seven Caribbean countries, including Belize, are participating in a cybercrime training workshop led by the Presidential Agency for International Cooperation of Colombia and the Colombian National Police.
The forum, called Successful Strategies and Experiences Combating Cybercrime, allows police representatives to network and share best practices on combating cybercrime.
At the workshop, the moderator, the CEO of the Ministry of Home Affairs, and the Commissioner of Police explained more:
Jose Alejandro Reyes Duque, Centro Cibernetico Policial, DIJIN, Policia Nacional de Colombia "Among the topics that we will be addressing in this knowledge exchange, we will be discussing various types of technology that is used to conduct these criminal activities-such as the use of cryptocurrencies, the use of AI, ransomware, and other very aggressive techniques. These techniques and technologies are used in various countries; we see that the same criminal activities are conducted, which is why this type of collaboration is so important."
Elton Bennett, CEO, Ministry of Home Affairs "This activity fits squarely with our strategic desire of bringing the different parts of the Government of Belize that are responsible for cybersecurity-including E-Governance, and also the National Security Directorate-because a lot of what we do here in Belize is intertwined in an effort to produce the best outcome when it comes to cybersecurity. So we have the right partners at the table, and working along with our regional counterparts, we believe we'll be able to identify some of those mechanisms that work well for them. Colombia is taking lead on this conference, and they will be giving us presentations throughout the next couple days, and we plan to engage with them and see what works well for them, what technology is there to combat the varied threats we face as government and as different states in the Caribbean."
Dr. A. Richard Rosado, Commissioner of Police "One of the main things we are looking for, apart from building capacity, sharing best practices, is for them to network, because we believe that as digital crime or cybercrime, it must be attacked from a collaborative front. We are hoping at the end of the training or the workshop that they will be able to develop that relationship with their partners from within the Caribbean."
Notably, the media was not invited to this event, which took place at the Best Western Plus Belize Biltmore Plaza in Belize City.
Today, the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture hosted a webinar to provide technical recommendations for Central American farmers in the face of the super El Niño of 2026.
Experts from The Ohio State University, OIRSA, CARDI, and other organizations presented.
Omaira Avila Rostant, CARDI Representative for Belize, kicked off the webinar by explaining what the Super El Niño is and what it means for Belize:
Voice of: Omaira Avila Rostant, CARDI Representative for Belize "Normally we say that global warming is 1.5 to 2 degrees extra. Nonetheless, this particular effect is expected to arrive at 3 Centigrade-that's 37.4 Fahrenheit-which is why it's called a Super El Niño. As you can see here, this is a normal year where you can see the sea is cool. However, look how hot the sea looks in this period-September, this is right now. A lot of people think this is just climate change. This is actually a natural cycle process that happens every 3 to 7 years. What is special now is the high temperature that is suspected to arrive. As you can see in this graph, we have seen it every ten years, but this time it reaches 3 Centigrade."
"CO2 is trapped by water. The sea traps a lot of the CO2 that is released; however, if water has a high temperature, instead of capturing, it releases. So therefore, there is more CO2 in the environment that helps to increase the temperature. This affects all the water cycles, so precipitation is reduced, soil moisture is reduced, and they have changes in wind that also affects this system. In this regard, everything that we normally know is changing.
"As we can see here, the expectation from October is that Belize in particular will be in a dry spell. Because of the cold fronts, we will be having a little cold air coming in-not necessarily humidity, but cold air-and you can see how it is expected to affect in different months this part of the Americas."
In May, the Toledo Alcalde Association and the Maya Leaders Alliance wrote to the CCJ to get clarifications on the 2015 Consent Order. In July, the CCJ dismissed that appeal application, with the judges explaining that they did not wish to intervene in the process at this point.
This past Friday, the CCJ issued further reasoning for its decision.
According to a release, the 2015 Consent Order reserved "liberty to apply," which permits the parties to return to the Court for assistance in clarifying and giving effect to the rights declared in the Order. Over the last decade, the parties sought to agree on measures that would implement the order. They reported these measures to the Court until October 30th of last year, when the monitoring function ended.
The Appellants argued that the "liberty to apply" provision permitted the Court to assist in "working out" the terms of the Order by clarifying its true meaning and giving effect to its provisions.
However, in dismissing the application, the Court explained that an implied liberty to apply may, quote, "arise in relation to 'queries as to the effect or intent of an order'. However, once an order of the Court is clear, or has been clarified, the matter falls outside the scope of the Court's reserved authority under that provision." End quote.
The CCJ also explained that for it to rule on the content of the Order regarding the provisions in the proposed legislation would offend the principle of separation of powers, since the development of the bill is a matter for the Legislature. They added that it would also amount to reading into the Order provisions that were not originally included because they were intended to be worked out collaboratively by the parties.
After a post-September Celebrations scolding, the National Garifuna Council met with the PM and other senior ministers yesterday.
At the center of the discussions was a revised Memorandum of Understanding between the Government and the NGC, which addresses several key priorities. These priorities include formal recognition of Garinagu as an Indigenous people of Belize, ancestral land rights, the protection and revitalization of the Garifuna language and culture, greater participation in national governance, and sustainable economic and community development.
According to an NGC release, Government has committed to having a technical team complete its review of the revised MOU by December 2026. The stated goal is to finalize and sign the agreement by November 19, 2027.
Prime Minister Briceño further assured the NGC that his Government would maintain dialogue with the Council on matters affecting the interests and development of Garinagu.
A nutritious meal is essential for students to power through the school day-especially those benefiting from the Ministry of Education's school feeding program.
Today, Ebenezer Methodist Primary School got a major boost to its kitchen operations. Thanks to a generous donation of appliances from Build Belize Inc., the school is now fully equipped to prepare daily breakfast and lunch for its students.
Jomarie Lanza was on hand for the handover and has the details:
You may know him as the CEO for the Ministry of Defence, but Francis Usher is now also the new President of the Belize Volleyball Association, after securing 203 votes at the Association's General Congress held on Sunday.
Usher defeated Elton Anderson, who received 99 votes, in an election that saw more than 300 BVA members participate.
Usher succeeds Allan Sharp, who is stepping down after 18 years at the helm of the Association. Usher most recently served as his Vice President. We spoke to him about the election:
Francis Usher, President - Belize Volleyball Association "We had two candidates that basically grew up in volleyball, spent our whole lives playing, we then took transitions to, or took a transition to running clubs, we both did. I served on the board of administrators before this, I was previously the vice president of the Belize Volleyball Association, and so there were two candidates that were, for all intents and purposes, really dedicated their lives to the sport and continue to serve the sport. The outcome on Sunday does not change either of our passion for the sport, we'll both continue to work for volleyball, to better our volleyball in Belize and we will work together."
Jal - "You know, you're a man of many hats and so one of the concerns is that, will you have enough time to really devote to volleyball? You know, volleyball is one of the sports in Belize that is viewed as extremely important, we're extremely successful in that sport and so it's a very important sport for us and we know we have volleyball lovers across the country, but one of the concerns is of course, how will you be able to juggle that and add that to your plate as well?"
Francis Usher, President - Belize Volleyball Association "So I think, having been on the association, having been the vice president of the previous association, I know what it takes to run the board, I know the time commitment, I also know that there are various stakeholders and we all work together to continue to move the sport forward."
"There's a lot that, as you rightfully said, volleyball is a very successful sport, the most successful in Belize actually, and still the only sport to pack the civic center three times, only sport to do that, and we will continue to do that in the future when we host international tournaments. But we have to continue to work together with all the stakeholders and we have to decentralize, so you prioritize and execute and you work together, you decentralize the decision-making. I have a great board of administrators, people who are in various capacities and we'll work together. It's not a case where I'm the linchpin and the only one that can make the decision, we are very much a board and we consult with the district associations, we consult with the clubs, we consult with the different teams, we consult with the Ministry of Sport, the Sports Council, the Belize Olympic Association, Belize Olympic and Commonwealth Association, and so yeah, there are many stakeholders that we work together for the betterment of the sport. I believe that I do have the time available, but I also know, I'm confident that I have a great team behind me that even if I don't have the time, they're able to do so."
But no election is short of drama, and one of the allegations was that there was no official voting close-off time. Usher explained what happened:
Jomarie Lanza: "On the other side was complaining that the polls were arbitrarily closed at 1:30 p.m., and that was not the original notice. Would you be able to clarify that?"
Francis Usher: "So the original notice had no time actually. There were questions on both sides. I myself had some questions about the timeframe, how the voting would work. Initially, what had happened was that each... so there are a certain number of votes allocated per club, per association, per team, and depending on the type of club you are, that determines how many votes you get if you're a small club or a large club. For example, my club is the HRCU Eagles, we are considered a small club since we only have one team, so we get 50 affiliates and so we had 50 votes. EA is considered a larger club, they had 200 affiliates. The Stars Club is another larger club, they had 200.
"So all of these clubs had votes, and it's all about how you were able to mobilize the affiliates that were in your support or that were supporting you. As far as the timeframe, I myself was a little confused, and toward the end of the day, the Election Commission clarified it. So we had an independent body that came to run the election-it was not run by the previous association, it was run by one member from the Olympic Committee and two attorneys. So we had an independent team running the election. Initially, they had said that the meeting or the AGM started at 10:00. They said that you had to check in, and you had to check your name off of the affiliates list in order to be able to vote. We realized that there were people who didn't want to be there for the entire AGM, if I'm being quite frank. They didn't want the entire presentations, they just wanted to come and vote, and various people were like that. And so they were allowed to vote, even though they were not there for the beginning of the AGM or did not check in. And then throughout the day, the line ebbed and it flowed, and sometimes it got short, then it got long again, and people just kept on coming in. So they initially... one of the members said that they would... okay, the line was getting short, they said they would cut it off. Then more people started trickling in and they were allowed to vote. So then the Election Commission came out and said, 'Okay, it is now... I think it was about, if I'm not mistaken, it was about 1:15. There was no one left in the line.' They said, 'We will cut it off at 1:30 so that we can start the consolidation of the votes.' They did so, and after that, the votes were... the ballots were reconciled and then the votes were counted."
Jomarie Lanza: "When they came out and told you all that they were going to begin consolidating, is that something that both sides agreed on at the time, or did anyone contest that decision?"
Francis Usher: "No, no one that was there contested the decision. Both sides were invited to have a member inside the reconciliation and the counting room, and both sides sent a member in. So that to me is a confirmation of agreement of the decision."
Eight executives were also elected to serve on the new Board of Administration. They are Sherylee Young-Thurton, Nicole Solano, Gillian Smith, Yemeri Reyes, Derrick Morgan, Leon Leslie, Emma Hoare, and Myrna Fernandez.
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Tonight, there is a power shift in Belmopan-and it begins at the Ministry of Home Affairs.
There was a dramatic development today in the high-profile sexual assault trial involving senior diplomat Alexis Roberto Rosado.
Francis Usher, CEO, Ministry of Defence
And there's another pressing matter for the Ministry of Defence. An AI flyer has been circulating on social media saying, quote, "Urgent Food Shortage - Belize Coast Guard," alleging that sailors and officers are suffering from an acute food scarcity.
There's been an arrest for a kidnapping in the north-but you can rest assured it's not for the kidnapping of the century; that would be Joseph Budna, of course.
The Prime Minister is expected to travel to Thailand for an IMF meeting in the next few days, so he's been busy in Belmopan. Today, he led a Cabinet meeting, and yesterday, it was the National Security Council.
Last night, we told you all about the history of the Swing Bridge and the temporary bridges used when it's being repaired.
German Tillett, Owner, A. Tillett's Jr. Bus Line
Seven Caribbean countries, including Belize, are participating in a cybercrime training workshop led by the Presidential Agency for International Cooperation of Colombia and the Colombian National Police.
At the workshop, the moderator, the CEO of the Ministry of Home Affairs, and the Commissioner of Police explained more:
Elton Bennett, CEO, Ministry of Home Affairs
Dr. A. Richard Rosado, Commissioner of Police
Today, the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture hosted a webinar to provide technical recommendations for Central American farmers in the face of the super El Niño of 2026.
After a post-September Celebrations scolding, the National Garifuna Council met with the PM and other senior ministers yesterday.
