Millions of dollars in public funds were paid to relatives of Minister Oscar Mira and while the Ministry of National Defense insists the procurement process was above board and that goods and services were delivered, the scrutiny isn’t fading. Now, the head of the Public Service Union is widening the lens. Dean Flowers says this isn’t just about one ministry, it’s about a deeper, systemic problem. He’s calling for a sweeping investigation into government procurement, pointing to what he describes as favoritism, weak oversight, and even potential corruption. So, how deep does this go and who will be held accountable? News Five’s Shane Williams has the story.
Shane Williams Reporting…
A growing controversy over government spending is now widening beyond a single payment trail. What first raised eyebrows as more than $1.7 million paid out to Jenny Mira is quickly turning into a larger conversation about how public money is tracked and who’s held accountable for it. Officials are now being pressed for answers, as scrutiny shifts from the payments themselves to the systems that approved them. At the center of the explanation is Chief Executive Officer in the Ministry of National Defense, Francis Usher, who says there’s nothing new about the arrangement. According to Usher, the Miras have been longtime suppliers, providing vegetables to the force for years, including during the previous administration.
Francis Usher
Francis Usher, CEO, Ministry of National Defense
“They have been reliable suppliers for many years. They actually supplied, have supplied even prior to 2020. In the early 2010s, they have been suppliers of vegetables to the BDF and the Coast Guard. So this isn’t a new thing that, that they have gotten business from the security forces.”
But according to Public Service Union President Dean Flowers, the focus shouldn’t stop at a single supplier. He argues attention should also be directed at the wider web of business ties linked to Minister of State Oscar Mira and his family.
Dean Flowers
Dean Flowers, President, Public Service Union
“People might be looking at the sister of this minister, but what they should be looking at is the collective relationships of this minister. If we combine this minister, Oscar Mira’s siblings, and he said it in the House that there is a whole lot of them. When you combine the goods and services that his sister has provided, the services that his brothers provide in the AC sector, the services that his brothers provide in the construction sector, the services that his in-laws provide in the roadwork sector, Boy. Boy oh boy. Then we want to know why the man them the build wah gated community.”
The contracts raise doubts about whether taxpayers are getting their money’s worth. For years, soldiers and sailors have quietly complained about the quality and quantity of their rations on duty. But CEO Francis Usher insists the supplies paid for are reaching the men and women in uniform.
Francis Usher
“There is nothing that is being paid for that is not being provided.”
Flowers is not convinced. He says years spent inside the public service have shown him that government records do not always match the reality on the ground.
Dean Flowers
“I heard the CEO said, “Well, he can vouch.” Well, I don’t know how he could vouch that all the goods and services was received. But I’ve been in public service long enough to know that a whole lot of goods and services that are paid for by the Belizean taxpayers is not received and the Auditor General knows this. And I think that given the freshness of this matter, that it is now rearing its head, it’s an opportune time for Maria Rodriguez, for Teresita Miranda, and for Maria Arthurs to show that they’re true Belizeans.”
The union leader argues that investigators may uncover cases where the goods delivered were not of the same quality or quantity as those purchased, all while questionable payment practices escaped scrutiny.
Dean Flowers
“We would have seen an instance in the Ministry of Transport, I believe, under Rodwell Ferguson, whereby they would have paid for a certain type of ACs and would have received a different kind of Acs, cheaper Acs. I’m pretty quite sure that if the Auditor General commissions and audit, these are the kind of things that we’ll see. That the kind of goods and services that we’re receiving for the kind of money that we’re paying is not what was intended to be received.”
The documents also show multiple invoices being processed intentionally below the ten-thousand-dollar threshold that would otherwise trigger additional oversight from the Treasury Department and Ministry of Finance.
Francis Usher
“There has never been a time where I’ve gone to a supplier and said, “Hey, I know this chair costs twenty thousand dollars but break it up into two quotations of ten thousand dollars or of less than ten thousand dollars.” I’ve never done that. I believe what might have happened or what has happened over the years is that suppliers who have dealt with the security forces and with government in general over the years realize that they get paid quicker because the last approval rests with the ministry, and it doesn’t have to go to another body and another body.”
The PSU has now filed a Freedom of Information request seeking records from the Accountant General, Auditor General, and Contractor General. Flowers says the investigation must also include public officers who processed those
Dean Flowers
“A finance officer responsibility is not to facilitate a corrupt instruction or an unlawful instruction or an instruction that seeks to deceive the Ministry of Finance and by extension the people of Belize. That is not their responsibility. And that’s why I will say without apology, when these CEOs come into government, when these ministers come into government, they are in most cases oblivious to these kind of practices. It is the public officers who introduce them to these kind of practices and then the politicians and the CEOs start abusing these type of practices to transfer wealth, public funds into private pockets.”
Flowers is now calling on the Auditor General, Accountant General, and Contractor General to investigate what he believes are systemic failures in government oversight. Shane Williams for News Five.
Attention readers: This online newscast is a direct transcript of our evening television broadcast. When speakers use Kriol, we have carefully rendered their words using a standard spelling system.
Watch the full newscast here:
