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, the Speednet acquisition by BTL is still on the table and still dominating the national dialogue.
And, we can confirm that the National Trade Union Congress of Belize-which has rejected the telecoms consolidation-is gearing up and getting ready to hit the streets. They've announced two days of action to protest the proposed acquisition of Speednet. First, they're calling on all Belizeans to wear black on Friday, August 14th, as a silent protest.
Then, the NTUCB will be organizing a demonstration for Tuesday, August 18th in front of the Sir Edney Cain Building in Belmopan. It's timed to coincide with the weekly Cabinet meeting when Ministers are scheduled to take a final decision on the Speednet acquisition.
The NTUCB is calling on all sister unions and the public to join them in these protest actions. According to our reports, the BNTU Council of Management has agreed to protest with the NTUCB, but they first have to consult with their membership.
The invite that never was-or at least one that the independent senators never got. Yesterday you heard BTL Chairman Markhelm Lizarraga say that they invited the senators to hear their presentation on the proposed Speednet acquisition, but that invite was declined. The independent senators, however, all say they never received an invite.
So did the invitation even exist? Well, tonight we know that the President of the Senate saw it, so what happened after that? Courtney Menzies put some of the pieces together.
Since the proposed Speednet acquisition first came to light, the social partners have been requesting additional information from BTL. Their requests have so far been ignored-or that's what they thought.
Yesterday, BTL's chairman, Mark Lizarraga, revealed that they had invited the independent senators to the table, but that they refused the invite:
Markhelm Lizarraga, Chairman BTL "We've extended our hand to the independent senators. Have they come? No. We've extended on several times for them and they refused. We sent a letter to the Senate willing to make a presentation there. So we're willing to meet with anybody that wants to truly listen; (but) if you have your own agenda..."
When we asked three of the four independent senators about that claim yesterday, they said they received no such invitation.
Following up on this, last night, Senator for NGOs Janelle Chanona made an unusually plain-spoken post, saying, quote:
"For the public's information and official record, as an independent Senator, I confirm that no invitation has ever been extended to me verbally or received by me in writing or via email or forwarded to me by any person or persons from Belize Telemedia Limited or from any third party at BTL's request. If such an easily verifiable statement can be said with such authority, it would make a reasonable person wonder what else is also being inaccurately conveyed just as authoritatively." End quote.
This morning, BTL provided 7News with a February 5th letter to the President of the Senate, Carolyn Trench Sandiford, requesting "the opportunity to brief the Honourable Members of the Senate on a strategic proposal concerning Speednet Communications Ltd."
They also provided a screenshot of a response from the President acknowledging receipt, copied to the Clerk, Clarita Pech.
The independent senators then requested a formal clarification from Clerk Pech on whether any meeting request was ever sent. She responded, "To date, the Office has not received any invitations or requests for meetings from Belize Telemedia Limited or persons acting on its behalf addressed to the independent Senators."
Senators Janelle Chanona, Glenfield Dennison, and Kevin Herrera also reconfirmed to 7News this morning that they had not received any invite. This morning, they also issued a press release stating, quote: "No invitation from Belize Telemedia Limited, verbal or written, has ever been received by any of the Independent Senators or their respective organizations at any point from any representatives of BTL or from any third party on BTL's behalf to discuss any aspect of the proposed acquisition of commercial interests by BTL." End quote.
We have sought comment from Senate President Carolyn Trench Sandiford, who was the recipient of that letter from BTL, but up to news time, we have not received a response.
Additionally, in their press release, the independent senators stated that they have also signed and sent separate letters to the chair of the PUC, the AG, the chair of BTL, and the Office of the PM to directly request information relevant to the proposed acquisition of Speednet.
We reached out to President Carolyn Trench Sandiford, prompting a press release from the National Assembly. The 12-point release details the events that transpired between February 6th when the President received the invite, and today.
The release explains that on that same day, Minister Michel Chebat announced a pause in the discussion relating to the acquisition. Then, the President, along with the clerk, discussed the best way forward. The release states, quote, "It was the decision of the President at the time, following consultation with the Clerk, that, while the matter was one of public importance and the request was to be granted, it was necessary to monitor the acquisition process to determine the appropriate date and time for scheduling the request. This determination would take into consideration the pause in discussions, the volume of matters before the Senate, other commitments of the National Assembly, and the approaching recess period." End quote.
The release then adds that, once a determination was made, they would reach back out to BTL to discuss a time and place, and then inform the senators. It ends by explaining that now that BTL has approved the acquisition, the President will now respond to the CEO's request with a proposed date and time for an information session for the senators.
In a notable aside, word reaching 7News is that the independent senators are prepared to publicly debate BTL and its board of management on the acquisition in a town hall style.
Meanwhile... the Social Partners dropped a cluster bomb of letters to the Cabinet, the regulator, Government's attorney, and BTL yesterday.
Jaleeza Roberts takes a look at those four letters:
In the first letter to BTL Executive Chairman Markhelm Lizarraga, they asked for public disclosure and due diligence, including BTL's commercial rationale, the due diligence undertaken, Speednet's five most recent years of audited financial statements, the anticipated public benefits and timeline, the effects on competition, pricing, investment and consumers, and a plan to protect employees.
In the next letter, they then asked the Chairman of the Public Utilities Commission, Dean Molina, to publish the Commission's assessment of the acquisition's likely impact on competition, consumers and the statutory objectives of the Telecommunications Act, and to allow meaningful public comment before any approval. They also asked the PUC to explain the applicability of Section 42(4) of the Telecommunications Act and any safeguards or conditions it may impose.
And then they asked the Attorney General to clarify the application of Section 42(4) of the Telecommunications Act, specifically requesting an authoritative interpretation of the applicable provisions and whether the proposed BTL-Speednet acquisition is legally permissible.
And then they asked the Prime Minister and Cabinet to publicly state the Government of Belize's position on the proposed acquisition, including why it is deemed a public-interest matter and what measures have been taken or proposed to identify, disclose, manage and mitigate any actual or perceived conflicts of interest.
Yesterday, the Prime Minister offered this explanation of Cabinet's decision-making process:
August 11, 2026
John Briceno, Prime Minister "We from the cabinet, we've made a determination that we're going to invite, um, these two, because these are the two main entities that have been speaking about, um, the chamber as a, as the business representative for the business community and, um, and the NTUCB as a representative for labor. So we want to hear from business and labor. Um, and so, um, I respect their position, but at the same time, I hope that you respect our position."
Well, they don't, and these letters make it clear that the social partners don't plan to go into any meeting until they have the requested information in advance. Jaleeza Roberts, 7 News.
Twenty-five-year-old maintenance worker Prince Copious is facing up to seven years in prison after changing his plea to guilty today for the burglary of attorney Audrey Matura's home.
The break-in occurred in April 2025 at Matura's residence on Chetumal Boulevard. Stolen items included a 9mm Ruger pistol valued at $3,500, a magazine loaded with seven live rounds of ammunition, and assorted jewelry and cosmetics totaling $6,675. None of the stolen property was recovered.
Police detained Copious after Matura's son reviewed surveillance footage and identified him entering through a second-floor bathroom window.
Though his trial began in July, Copious changed his plea from not guilty to guilty today after being shown the security footage of the break-in.
Copious is scheduled to be sentenced on September 8th. He faces a maximum penalty of seven years in prison.
Two police officers have been sentenced to eleven years in prison for the 2023 manslaughter death of 25-year-old Andrew McDougal.
Justice Antoinette Moore handed down the sentence yesterday to officers John Lucas and Jaleel Lewis.
The charges stem from an arrest caught on video outside a restaurant in Santa Cruz Village, where Lucas and Lewis aggressively detained McDougal.
McDougal, who lived with hemophilia-a genetic disorder that impairs blood clotting-died 17 days later from severe internal bleeding caused by injuries sustained during the encounter.
Following their conviction for manslaughter, Justice Moore sentenced both officers to serve eleven years behind bars.
Last night, a social media post went viral showing a side-by-side comparison of two household water filters. One is a pristine white, while the other is caked in a thick, dark brown sludge. It was posted by Michael Singh who stated that the clean filter is identical to the one which was removed from his primary BWS intake line after only three weeks of use. The image raised many comments about the quality of water BWS is providing and questioned whether it is healthy to consume.
Well, today we spoke with Hugo Rancharan, BWS's Water Quality and Compliance Manager who said that BWS water consistently meets and, in some key metrics, exceeds the water quality and microbial standards set by both the World Health Organization (WHO) and the American Water Works Association (AWWA):
Hugo Rancharan, Water Quality and Compliance Manager, BWS "What we saw there was nothing new to us. We have experienced that in the past. And what we encourage customers is to, if they see any discoloration or anything like that, to please contact us first so that we could do an investigation. Yesterday, we did saw a post and we took preemptive actions, and we did contact the person and we did correct their actions there."
Jaleeza: "So what went wrong?"
Hugo Rancharan "It's not-nothing wrong. It's something that usually is found within systems that are sourced by water treatment plants. In this case, our plant is at Double Run, which is Mile 17. And from there, we source water from the Belize River. And then any surface water plant would go under the normal process of conventional water treatment systems and then into the distribution systems. From there, then it goes to your home. From there, naturally, you'd find these things in terms of sediments and so forth, impurities, so to speak. Because sometimes when you look at the water, it's very clear, but microscopically, when you look at it, they do have small particles inside. Nothing to be alarmed of. Everything is safe. But over time, it's just like what we said in the morning, that you would put on a white shirt and over time it gets dirty by itself. It means that the filter is doing its job, and it means that we have, so to speak, good potable water going to your home."
Jaleeza: "Okay, so one of the concerns by persons is that this is the kind of things that they're consuming. And so how do you all respond to that?"
Hugo Rancharan "Well, they're not necessarily consuming that to that point. But nevertheless, we do ensure through quality assessment and quality control that all the water samples from different areas that we have in Belize City are confirmed to WHO standards and even to AWWA standards, which we hold accountable for. We do have independent assessment from the Public Utilities Commission and from Public Health that does assessment in our systems as well."
Jaleeza: "So can you guarantee the public that the water is safe to consume without a filter?"
Hugo Rancharan "Yes, the water is safe to consume for potabilization, but there are persons, such as the one that you saw in the post, that prefer additional treatment. So they may do that as well to further purify the water. But we, as BWS, mandate to some extent and to whatever degree, send potable water through the distribution system, which at some point has to meet WHO standards and at some point is mostly for potabilization, meaning hygiene, etc. And you can drink the water, yes, it's safe."
He adds that the water is purified by a 7-step system the company has in place at the Double Run facility.
And in news about the quality of water that goes to that Double Run plant, yesterday you heard the Chief Environmental Officer say that they're still investigating the cause of the massive fish kill in the Belize River, which also affected animals such as hicatee turtles and crocodiles. So far, the speculation is that it may have originated from Santander or an apparently illegal rice farm in the area.
Anthony Mai explained that it wasn't a disease but likely an organic load or toxins that entered the water. Today, the research director at the Savannah Field Station in La Democracia, Dr. Donald McKnight, who made his own fact-finding tour and assessment told us that it is definitely something unnatural that got into the water. He spoke to us via Zoom.
Dr. Donald McKnight, Research Director, Savannah Field Station "It does look like those deaths were probably caused by a toxin rather than just by a lack of oxygen. Obviously, turtles and crocodiles can breathe air, so a lack of oxygen in the air wouldn't kill them, and necropsies on the hickatee especially show that its liver looked like it had failed; its liver was very yellow and showed signs of toxicity. We're now trying to really identify where this actually came from, which is challenging. It looks like something entered the system; it doesn't look like this was a natural thing that happened in the river. The Belize River doesn't really have big algae blooms in the channel-algae blooms usually happen in stagnant water that's not flowing, and Belize has a high enough flow rate that we don't really see this big dangerous blooms in the river. So something entered the waterway."
"An organic load can trigger large algae blooms with nitrogen and phosphorus entering the system; it can cause algae blooms, so you can have runoff that causes it, but again, the Belize River system is not a system where that really happens. I'd be more suspicious of something like an algae bloom happening in a retention pond somewhere that then empties into the river, and the thing with the blooms is that one way they kill things is because the algae release toxic chemicals, so it's not trying to say it's either an organic load or a toxic chemical-it can be both, because the organic load can cause an algae bloom, which causes toxic chemicals. But either way, it seems it was something that entered the system, which I think is the really key point. As far as who's responsible, so I've just this week went up to look at that rice farm from Laboring Creek, and for sure what's happening, it's a problem that it's cleared right up to the edge of the river or up to the edge of the creek. It's not clear yet if it was Santander or the rice farm; there is a canal coming off of Santander, I think it's coming off Santander's property-it's a little hard to tell where things are originating-which some residents from the Baboon Sanctuary visited several days ago and it had a really high flow rate, and when I went several days later, there were a number of fish skeletons along it, as well as a dead tilapia in the water. So maybe that's the source, but again, we're trying to piece things together after the fact, so it's proving really challenging to figure out exactly where this originated."
Imagine moving to the United States with a British Honduras passport and 45 years later, never once owning a Belize passport. That's the reality of some of the Belizean Americans who attended the Immigration Mobile Passport Hub in Evanston, Illinois from August 7th to the 9th.
Those living in or near the area who needed to renew their passports-or get a Belizean passport for the first time in their lives-had the opportunity to do so without leaving the US. Jose Sanchez has this report.
There was also a Land Clinic in Evanston to help Belizean Americans with any questions or processes they needed to complete. The Lands Commissioner explained more:
Yesterday, when we caught him in front of the Sir Edney Cain Building, BTL's Chairman Markhelm Lizarraga shed much-needed light on many aspects of the BTL acquisition that have not been publicly ventilated. But he also displayed an uncompromising conviction, leaving the distinct impression that anyone dissenting on the deal's merits was either mistaken or misguided.
Tonight we look more closely at some of his remarks:
Yesterday, the BTL Chairman held forth for half an hour-explaining to the press what he had just told Cabinet-that to all who have eyes to see, this is a good deal:
Markhelm Lizarraga, Chairman, BTL "...that this makes economic sense, that it makes sense for the company and the shareholders."
"You know, if you really want to listen and you really want to be objective, you'll get it. That's all I can say."
But, the Chairman's sweeping remarks have come under scrutiny.
First, he said BTL has no debt-had paid it all off:
Markhelm Lizarraga, Chairman, BTL "We've repaid all the debts that we found."
"We settled all the loans that we had on the books, paid it."
But when we checked the financials, it showed that the Chairman's blanket assertion that all debts are cleared omits nearly $20 million in live, scheduled borrowings confirmed by the company's own auditors.
Certainly manageable, but why misrepresent?
And the BCWU's numbers were also misrepresented. After the union withdrew support for the acquisition in a meeting on the 6th of August, Lizarraga downplayed that, saying that only represents 31% of staff who are not in support of the acquisition.
Markhelm Lizarraga, Chairman, BTL "Now they represent a portion of our employees. And when you look at the numbers, 31% of the whole staff body that they're talking about said, no,"
Strictly by the numbers, 166 "no" votes out of 544 total company employees equals 31%. However, the BCWU only has 328 members-meaning more than half of actual union members voted to reject the acquisition.
The Chairman's double standard becomes clear when compared to January 2026, when the union supported the acquisition. At the time, BTL management proudly announced in a press release that 79% voted "yes."
If the Chairman applied his current logic-measuring the vote against all 544 employees-that "yes" vote would actually represent just 47% of the company's employees. Yet, yesterday he continued to claim that 80% of staff approved it.
Markhelm Lizarraga, Chairman, BTL "...and the whole staff body, the majority said yes, go ahead. Yeah, 80% of our staff. But they said yes, go ahead."
Two things can be true-but the chairman is trying to have it both ways-and that can't be true.
And then-inexplicably-he snapped at our journalist who was asking about this leaked document-one of the only ones which was shared with the board.
Reporter "And why did Moore's model not consider BTL's audited financials of 2024/2025?"
Markhelm Lizarraga, Chairman, BTL "Who said that? Don't paraphrase and read from every person that sends you junk."
And while the CEO dutifully chuckled, BTL's own audited debt, revenue, and profitability figures do not follow the patterns Moore's model projects-because Moore's model never used them as its starting point. The audited accounts record revenue of BZD $154.9M, an EBITDA margin of 42%, and a net profit margin of 18%. Moore's projections open with BZD $163M in revenue-$8.1M higher than the audited figure-while projecting EBITDA margins of just 38% and net profit margins of 12%. The debt position of BZD $19.7M confirmed in the audited balance sheet finds no corresponding reflection in the model's assumptions.
And then the Chairman famously said this about the independent Senators:
Markhelm Lizarraga, Chairman, BTL "We've extended our hand to the independent senators. Have they come? No. We've extended on several times for them and they refused. We sent a letter to the Senate willing to make a presentation there. So we're willing to meet with anybody that wants to truly listen; (but) if you have your own agenda..."
The senators have since made it clear that they received no invitation, and we can also see that the independent senators specifically were not invited.
And then there's the tricky matter of the acquisition cost-the Chairman was clear on that. And maybe for the first time in history: both the seller-the Ashcroft Alliance-and the buyer-BTL-are in perfect alignment: the acquisition cost is $80 million, financed at 4.5% over 4.2 years. That's what Lord Ashcroft put in his release in January and what the chairman repeated yesterday:
Reporter "What are we looking at when it comes to the total cost of the acquisition?"
Markhelm Lizarraga, Chairman, BTL "The negotiated sum so far has been $80 million pending final due diligence, that's the price."
Reporter "Across how many years will it be paid back?"
Markhelm Lizarraga, Chairman, BTL "We estimate that it will be paid back over 4.2 years, with the first year being interest only. And then the remaining period will be at 4.5% but we calculate that it can be done in 4.2 years and that's been substantiated by 3 independent bodies."
On the surface, it seems simple enough. But when we account for the repayment of the loan notes and the associated financing charges, the acquisition cost increases by potentially $13.23 million, bringing the total to $93.23 million. A prudent investor using a monthly repayment schedule rather than annual repayment would save approximately $1.4 million in interest. And when integration costs and transaction fees are included, the true economic cost of the deal approaches $100 million.
And turning now to regional news: Belize's highest court, the Caribbean Court of Justice, is facing an unprecedented internal crisis after explosive leaked emails revealed that five of six sitting judges have accused CCJ President Winston Anderson of dictatorial rule, panel-fixing, and anti-democratic leadership.
Last night, the Regional Judicial and Legal Services Commission-which appoints judges to the CCJ-issued an official statement acknowledging the serious allegations concerning the administration of the court and the independence of its judges. It says, "The Commission recognizes the seriousness of these matters and the importance of addressing them in a manner that protects public trust and confidence in the Court and the broader administration of justice throughout the Caribbean. As a result, the RJLSC believes that these concerns are best addressed through the established internal governance mechanisms of the Court and the Commission, and through a transparent and independent review undertaken in the best interest of the Region."
And with far greater urgency, a statement from the Organization of Eastern Caribbean States Bar Association and the Organization of Commonwealth Caribbean Bar Associations calls for urgent investigation into the CCJ crisis.
In a joint statement issued today, they described the public disclosure of internal correspondence as "disturbing" and called for an immediate investigation into its source, including a thorough review of the CCJ's technical, security, and computer systems to determine whether the information was intentionally leaked, accidentally disclosed, or obtained through hacking.
The associations also called for the allegations circulating publicly to be urgently examined for their accuracy, urging the Regional Judicial and Legal Services Commission to facilitate a responsible process for addressing the concerns. The associations urged the CCJ's judges to engage in frank and open discussions about any genuine internal concerns, with assistance from the Commission, former CCJ judges, and other relevant parties. They also offered to help facilitate mediation if necessary.
And being a lot less moderate, the President of the Jamaican Senate said the matter is troubling and should be taken seriously. We have a portion of this report from Caribbean Communications Network Television 6 in Trinidad:
Courtesy CCN TV Trinidad
Jamaican Senate President and King's Counsel Tom Tavares-Finson said nothing less than a public inquiry is required to deal with the issues facing the CCJ. Tavares-Finson issued a statement earlier today to the media warning Jamaica in making any decisions to make the CCJ its final appellate court.
Voice of Tom Tavares-Finson, Jamaican Senate President "It would be extremely reckless for Jamaica to decide to join a court, in which these interpersonal conflicts are raging and in which there is an allegation, an allegation that panels are being struck to determine the outcome of cases. For Jamaica to even consider joining such a court would be extremely reckless."
For King's Counsel Tavares-Finson, he said it would be unusual for a court not to have interpersonal conflicts, but the Jamaican Senate President says of all the issues raised, there is one which is troubling and must be treated seriously.
Voice of Tom Tavares-Finson, Jamaican Senate President "The issue concerns an allegation that panels have been struck with a view to determining the output of cases. And that to me is a very dangerous development if it is true. One of the judges indicated that he was to sit on a particular panel, a case of particular note and relevance to Jamaica, and he was removed from that panel."
The Sunday Express reported exclusively this week about a series of allegations of dictatorial tendencies in the ruling of the court, as well as allegations made by several judges of panel-fixing and interfering with the outcome of cases, purportedly by CCJ President Justice Winston Anderson.
And finally tonight, the Belize Forest Department issued a warning yesterday urging residents, visitors, and businesses to stop feeding, approaching, or interacting with crocodiles after a recent human-crocodile encounter in Caye Caulker. But less than 24 hours later, a video posted on Facebook shows why the warning is not just necessary, it is urgent.
It shows a group of individuals in Caye Caulker taunting a crocodile, striking it, throwing items at it, and generally harassing the animal-behavior that directly contradicts the safety guidance issued by the Forest Department, ACES Wildlife Rescue, and the Crocodile Research Coalition.
The authorities have made clear that crocodiles should never be fed, approached, touched, provoked, or encouraged to interact with people. While no one was injured in the recent Caye Caulker incident, such encounters can quickly become dangerous when crocodiles begin associating people with food or human activity.
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Tonight, the Speednet acquisition by BTL is still on the table and still dominating the national dialogue.
The invite that never was-or at least one that the independent senators never got. Yesterday you heard BTL Chairman Markhelm Lizarraga say that they invited the senators to hear their presentation on the proposed Speednet acquisition, but that invite was declined. The independent senators, however, all say they never received an invite.
"We've extended our hand to the independent senators. Have they come? No. We've extended on several times for them and they refused. We sent a letter to the Senate willing to make a presentation there. So we're willing to meet with anybody that wants to truly listen; (but) if you have your own agenda..."
Meanwhile... the Social Partners dropped a cluster bomb of letters to the Cabinet, the regulator, Government's attorney, and BTL yesterday.
"We from the cabinet, we've made a determination that we're going to invite, um, these two, because these are the two main entities that have been speaking about, um, the chamber as a, as the business representative for the business community and, um, and the NTUCB as a representative for labor. So we want to hear from business and labor. Um, and so, um, I respect their position, but at the same time, I hope that you respect our position."
Twenty-five-year-old maintenance worker Prince Copious is facing up to seven years in prison after changing his plea to guilty today for the burglary of attorney Audrey Matura's home.
Two police officers have been sentenced to eleven years in prison for the 2023 manslaughter death of 25-year-old Andrew McDougal.
Last night, a social media post went viral showing a side-by-side comparison of two household water filters. One is a pristine white, while the other is caked in a thick, dark brown sludge. It was posted by Michael Singh who stated that the clean filter is identical to the one which was removed from his primary BWS intake line after only three weeks of use. The image raised many comments about the quality of water BWS is providing and questioned whether it is healthy to consume.
Hugo Rancharan
And in news about the quality of water that goes to that Double Run plant, yesterday you heard the Chief Environmental Officer say that they're still investigating the cause of the massive fish kill in the Belize River, which also affected animals such as hicatee turtles and crocodiles. So far, the speculation is that it may have originated from Santander or an apparently illegal rice farm in the area.
"An organic load can trigger large algae blooms with nitrogen and phosphorus entering the system; it can cause algae blooms, so you can have runoff that causes it, but again, the Belize River system is not a system where that really happens. I'd be more suspicious of something like an algae bloom happening in a retention pond somewhere that then empties into the river, and the thing with the blooms is that one way they kill things is because the algae release toxic chemicals, so it's not trying to say it's either an organic load or a toxic chemical-it can be both, because the organic load can cause an algae bloom, which causes toxic chemicals. But either way, it seems it was something that entered the system, which I think is the really key point. As far as who's responsible, so I've just this week went up to look at that rice farm from Laboring Creek, and for sure what's happening, it's a problem that it's cleared right up to the edge of the river or up to the edge of the creek. It's not clear yet if it was Santander or the rice farm; there is a canal coming off of Santander, I think it's coming off Santander's property-it's a little hard to tell where things are originating-which some residents from the Baboon Sanctuary visited several days ago and it had a really high flow rate, and when I went several days later, there were a number of fish skeletons along it, as well as a dead tilapia in the water. So maybe that's the source, but again, we're trying to piece things together after the fact, so it's proving really challenging to figure out exactly where this originated."
Yesterday, when we caught him in front of the Sir Edney Cain Building, BTL's Chairman Markhelm Lizarraga shed much-needed light on many aspects of the BTL acquisition that have not been publicly ventilated. But he also displayed an uncompromising conviction, leaving the distinct impression that anyone dissenting on the deal's merits was either mistaken or misguided.
And turning now to regional news: Belize's highest court, the Caribbean Court of Justice, is facing an unprecedented internal crisis after explosive leaked emails revealed that five of six sitting judges have accused CCJ President Winston Anderson of dictatorial rule, panel-fixing, and anti-democratic leadership.
And with far greater urgency, a statement from the Organization of Eastern Caribbean States Bar Association and the Organization of Commonwealth Caribbean Bar Associations calls for urgent investigation into the CCJ crisis.
And being a lot less moderate, the President of the Jamaican Senate said the matter is troubling and should be taken seriously. We have a portion of this report from Caribbean Communications Network Television 6 in Trinidad:
"It would be extremely reckless for Jamaica to decide to join a court, in which these interpersonal conflicts are raging and in which there is an allegation, an allegation that panels are being struck to determine the outcome of cases. For Jamaica to even consider joining such a court would be extremely reckless."
