For the past two weeks, you've seen the growing tension unfold in Indian Creek Village, which stems from the fact that the CCJ Consent Order has yet to be properly implemented by the government. Successive governments have delayed the implementation but today the CEO in the Ministry of Indigenous Peoples Affairs explained that the Prime Minister has directed them to ensure it is implemented this term. But of course it's not so easy, especially since several parties are involved. According to Chester Williams, a review panel will be constituted and will convene early next month. But here's what he told us today about where they are in the process.
Chester Williams, CEO - Min of Transport
"We do have the Maya Leaders Alliance, we have the Toledo Alcalde Association and then we have the third parties. Each of those organizations are represented now by counsels. The third parties in this issue have now retained council from Courtney Coye law firm. And so moving forward as it relates to issues that affects them we have to be in consultation with the attorney as well."
"Again as we look at the whole issue of addressing the Maya Customary land tenure we have sensed a complex issue there are a number of parties involved and there is a lot at stake and so as the ministry, as a government we are making sure that we take the right steps in addressing the issues to the satisfaction of all the parties concerned."
Reporter-
"So it's going to be who ends up with title at the end of the day and it is going to be the government deciding that?"
Chester Williams, CEO - Min of Transport
"Well the CCJ in its decision did allude to the fact that the government is to put in place the legislation and the administrative mechanism in making sure that the Mayan customary landtenure is identified and protected and so within the legislation itself is going to have how the title issue is going to work out I am not going into details of that here because the legislation is still in consultation along with the parties who are going to be affected so I rather leave that until then before we discuss the nitty gritty of the legislation."
CEO Says They Need To Strike A Balance Between All Parties
And Williams emphasized that they need to find a compromise between all the parties involved and the legislation will need to reflect that. But he chose not to go into too many details just yet.
Reporter-
"And that is going to determine finally how Maya land rights will end up looking in legislation? you have also said that not everyone will get there way."
Chester Williams, CEO - Min of Transport
"Well like I said it is a complex issue so there will have to be struck a balance to make sure that what the government does is to satisfy the parties involved."
Reporter-
"Wow are we still at the point where it is this I cant remember how many miles out of a center of a village in terms of what they are originally entitled to and then they must apply?"
Chester Williams, CEO - Min of Transport
"Like I said we still have to work in consultation with the communities in determining the boundaries of each community we have not gotten there as yet no."
"The legislation will also speak to that and then will be guided, will be putting in the mechanism to guide the process."
"We have been going in the villages it is nonstop almost every day Mr Requena is in the villages speaking to people, doing consultations, looking at other issues that may arise even when it comes to activities that are done by other ministries that requires the implementation of FPIC protocol Mr Requena is with them making sure the process goes through properly. So going to the villages is nothing new, we have been going to the villages from day one."
Communal And Private Land Tenure Must Eventually Co-Exist
Williams also spoke about protecting the rights of private landholders. He added that private land rights must align with the communal land rights.
Jules Vasquez
"What would you say is the greatest challenge in so far as, we have 2 systems: we have Communal land rights and we have the private property rights recognized by the Lands Department.Iis there anyway that these 2 systems can peacefully coexist?"
Chester Williams, CEO - Min of Transport
"Well the objective of the government is to ensure that we comply fully with the CCJ consent order. And again in that consent order it says that the communal land tenure exists both collectively and individually which in my legal interpretation would mean that private land titles should also be able to run alongside the communal land tenure so I am hoping that it is something that is going to be looked at and at the end of the day the parties involved will be able to come to some amicable solution in making sure we continue to live in harmony in Belize."
Will Taxpayers Foot The Bill For Compensation?
But if the government were to acquire private lands in order to turn them into communal lands, then the holder would have to be compensated. And, if it's financial compensation, it will be out of the taxpayers' purse. But on Sunup on 7, Williams explained that even if taxpayers outside of the south believe their money shouldn't be used this way, they are still affected by the CCJ judgement. Here's how he explained it.
Chester Williams, CEO, Ministry of Indigenous Peoples Affairs
"Even you who thinks you're not affected by the judgement are affected. The constitution in section 17 speaks to the protection of private property and no one should be subjected to arbitrary deprivation of their property and if the state so wish to take away your property then you must be compensated adequately. Now people have millions of investment in some of these areas, the question then is like you rightly said, should the government move to acquire these lands from these people then who pays? And that's why I said earlier that it has serious financial implications. The protection of right to property under the constitution must also be afforded to those third parties that if their property is deprived then they must be compensated. So we'll wait to see how that plays out. I am hoping there is going to be some sort of negotiation where reasonable heads would prevail and say okay if Mr Peter Tom has so much investment in this area, he has title to his property, then by all means leave him there. And then the government must just then cease and desist from issuing further titles. Now, in the CCJ judgement is says that the government must undertake to not issue titles or lease in those areas but it did not say the government must take away what has already been given so these are things that we have to look at and certainly the AG ministry and senior counsel Marshalleck will be looking at this very closely to see how we'll be able to mitigate these things to make sure that the government doesn't pay too much money."
Area Rep Reflects On Steve Lewis Murder
The autopsy of deceased Dangriga man Steve Lewis, confirmed he died from multiple gunshot wounds. Lewis was found near the Silk Grass junction on Friday April 17 after going missing on Wednesday April 15.
Today the minister spoke about his former constituent:
Dr. Louis Zabaneh, Minister of Transport
"Yeah, yeah, we're very, very concerned. We know the family well. In fact, his mom and family, they just got their land regularized near the airstrip area there in Dangriga. So we're very sad to see a promising young person, young man, and the other young man who was also murdered."
"When that happens to a community in Dangriga, it's very impactful to all of us, because it's not a community that we've traditionally had those kinds of things occurring. Dangriga is a very peaceful community. People move around."
"It's neighborly, and it's a very special dynamic. So when that happens to us, it's something that we are very, very concerned about. And so, in fact, it was raised today in cabinet, and it's something that we are looking very closely at to see what the police can do to help us in this case, right?"
No one has been charged for the murder.
25 Year old BDF Guard Dies Suddenly
A BDF soldier from the volunteer unit passed away suddenly today while on duty.
25 year old Jaime Garcia was working as a gate guard at the BDF's Eyles Camp In Orange Walk when he suddenly collapsed around 1:00 pm near the door of the guard room.
Private Garcia's counterparts did everything they could and rushed him to the hospital, but he did not make it.
Chief of Staff Lieutenant Colonel Elber Ramirez told us via Zoom what they know so far.
We'll let you know what the post mortem says when it is concluded.
Electronic Transfers Were Fast, Central Bank Making Them Instant
The Central Bank is ramping up Belize's Instant Payment System. Previously, electronic transfers would only go through at certain times of the day, and would take up to ten minutes. But now with the new system, you get instant transfer any time of the day - along with other conveniences. At a press conference today, Governor, Kareem Michael, explained more.
Kareem Michael, Governor, Central Bank of Belize
"The first thing to point out is the feature of continuous availability, which allows payments to be made at any time, everyday of the year. What's the current experience? With apps, digital payments operate largely within banking hours with same day processing depending on settlement windows. Many in the public don't realize this but there are different windows, 9 to 10:30 and then after that 11-12, where you process your EFT and IFT and then checks come afterwards. If you trying to put in a payment at 3:00 that won't be processed until the next day to finality. Not ideal. So what IPS will deliver is payment 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year, allowing money to move when the economy moves, not just when the banks are open."
"The second thing which I want to point out, Real time processing and settlement providing immediate finality and greater confidence in the movement of funds. The current experience under apps is that payments clear and settle sometimes on a same day basis with earliest settlement being a time of 2 mins for IFT transactions. Now Central Bank tests this often and sometimes IFT is ten, fifteen minutes, maybe even longer. So IPS will deliver, this fast payment system will deliver that what our target is that these transactions will be processed and settled typically in ten seconds or less."
"Third, interoperability, enabling seamless payments, allowing participants to clear and settle payments or financial transactions across systems without participating only in those systems."
"IPS, the fast payment system will connect banks, credit unions, and digital wallets into one shared payment system allowing money to move easily and instantly between individuals, businesses regardless of the provider."
"The current experience, digital payments often require detailed bank information and account numbers to make payments, creating friction for users. IPS will allow payments using features as QR codes and alias proxy identifiers reducing effort and errors."
Instant Transfers Will Not Be Instantly Available, But Phased In
Michael said the implementation of this system will be a phased approach.
Kareem Michael, Governor, Central Bank of Belize
"With the contract now executed, the project moves fully into the implementation phase. Activities will focus on detailed system design, stakeholder readiness, configuration testing, and a phased roll out. Full deployment is targeted over an approximate period of 18 months with go live expected in early 2028, allowing time for integrating, testing, regulatory alignment, and industry preparation. This deliberate pace reflects the strategic importance of the initiative and a commitment to delivering a robust sustainable system."
Business' Minimum Charges Make It Impossible To Move To A Cashless System
And while they are improving the IPS, what measures will be put in place to protect the customers? Already, storeowners implement a minimum charge on card usage - meaning you have to purchase a certain amount of items if you want to pay using a card. The Central Bank governor said it's happening even to him, but they're trying to find a solution.
Kareem Michael, Governor, Central Bank of Belize
"This is something that we've been battling with for a few years. I've had personal experience where I have gone to a grocer and I have purchased maybe $9 and there's a $15 minimum and they refuse for me to pay with my debit card and they would only accept cash. Recently I went to the same store, same under $15 purchase and now they're slapping on a $1 charge to make me use my debit card. The bankers association and the Central Bank have been brainstorming if you will on how to address this issue. And we've had very good discussions on what solutions may look like from the very blunt to something more equitable on both sides. What we hope is to find a solution for this in the very future. It is not necessary that we want an entirely cashless society but for the reasons which you've cited, there cannot be price disincentives for the vulnerable members of society. And this is not just for vulnerable members of society but this is for everyone to not participate in the formal financial sector. So this is one of a few issues that we want to address together as the bankers association and even the credit unions to see how we can stop this abuse from happening because it is really and truly against our financial inclusion motives."
Belize's Major Commercial Banks Unilaterally Flipped Accounts From Savings To Checking, Who Authorized it?
And while today's press conference focused on the IPS, we also asked the governor about both Atlantic and Belize Bank's decision to unilaterally flip your savings account into a checking account. This means you'll be paying a monthly maintenance fee but more so, it means you won't be accruing interest. We asked the governor about this, but Michael said Central Bank was not a part of that decision.
Kareem Michael, Governor, Central Bank of Belize
"The Central Bank was not involved in that decision, there was no approval sought for Atlantic Bank or any other bank to have done that. What I will say is there are current powers under the Central Bank that only go as far as putting caps and floors on lending rates and also floors on savings deposits. Savings deposits have been specifically defined that the latest round of revision was when we engaged the commercial banks roughly a year and a half, two years ago when we wanted or intended to address fee based income at the commercial banks and it took a while for us to get at a middle position, a compromise position which both parties were reasonably satisfied with. But as you rightly pointed out, there have been more concerns by the public that there are more fees being applied particularly when prices are going up, you're not making income on your savings but the cost of living is certainly going up. I will also tell you that and correct me if I'm wrong the other banks in the room. This is not a unique bank that you mentioned."
Courtney Menzies:
"I mentioned both Atlantic and Belize Bank."
Kareem Michael, Governor, Central Bank of Belize
"Oh wonderful, good. So that should tell you something about the structure of our market. Those two are the biggest banks. And I'm not going to tell you what that "tell you something" is. But this has not been off the table with the bankers association, we continue again to have respectful discussions on the matter of fees and we're going our part to assist banks that are entirely profit driven with private interest. The Central Bank's objective is public interest. Is there a middle? Absolutely and we're going to continue to work towards addressing some of these issues as best as we can."
Teller On Withdrawals Seem Punitive But Central Bank Says It's To Encourage Technology Use
And, banking in person is becoming more expensive. While ATM access remains largely free within set limits, Atlantic Bank will now charge $3 for in-branch withdrawals, while Belize Bank's fee stands at $4. Governor Michael notes this is a deliberate effort to incentivize the use of banking technology over traditional teller visits.
Kareem Michael, Governor, Central Bank of Belize
"You want people to realize that you can do transactions from your phone, all these banks are pushing their apps, move money through your phone, and you can see how transaction volumes are rolling up, are going up because brick and mortar places or bank offices are becoming a thing of the past. Five years from now Central Bank will be pursuing open banking objectives and all of that. So is the $3, $4 Excessive? I agree with you, completely. Like I said, it's an ongoing discussion and we have to see where's the sweet spot."
NEBL Throws Down Suspensions
And finally tonight, The National Elite Basketball League has issued a series of suspensions and fines after an altercation during the April 17 matchup between the Belize City Defenders and the Orange Walk Running Rebels.
In an official letter, the league expressed disappointment over the incident, mandating both teams to issue public apologies to fans, officials, and the league.
Several players received significant penalties. For the Defenders, Kelvin Cumberbatch was suspended for the remainder of the 2026 season for striking an opponent, while John Kelly received a six-game ban. Other players received one-game suspensions and fines, bringing the team's total penalties to $2,800. The Running Rebels were also heavily sanctioned; multiple players were fined and suspended for pushing opponents and failing to comply with disqualification procedures, totaling $2,300 in fines.
The league confirmed that all fines will be donated to charity and deducted from team allowances.
