Follow the money, that’s where this story starts. News Five is digging deeper into hundreds of invoices paid to a single company, MP Farms, and a troubling pattern is beginning to emerge. What starts as small, routine payments quickly snowballs into large payouts, voided transactions, and repeating invoice numbers that point to possible irregularities. The business is tied to the sibling of Belmopan Area Representative Oscar Mira, drawing even more attention. So, what’s really going on behind these payments? News Five’s Paul Lopez breaks down the paper trail and the questions it leaves behind.
Paul Lopez, Reporting
A review of hundreds of invoices reveals a pattern, one that that looks simple at first but soon turns complex. In September 2024, early transactions to MP Farms follow a controlled arrangement, consistently staying below ten thousand dollars. The total, however, is just over one hundred and sixty-one thousand dollars.
By October 2024, that steady pace remains unchanged. But again, all invoices were below ten thousand dollars. And then in December 2024, there is a shift. There are no repeated invoices below ten thousand dollars, just a single payment of $152,834.28
In January 2025, the pattern of multiple invoices below ten thousand dollars continued, only this time the payout is above $226,564.92. In that same month, one payout also stands out, again, of $152,834.28. February’s payouts totaled over three hundred and sixty-five thousand dollars, split between multiple under ten thousand-dollar invoices across two days.
In March, something changes. Cancelled invoices are introduced, raising early red flags.
| MOD-INV#2895 | 06/03/2025 | Cancelled | $8,444.12 | ||
| MOD-INV#2870 | 06/03/2025 | Cancelled | $9,654.89 | ||
| MOD-INV#2867 | 06/03/2025 | Paid | $8,444.12 | ||
| MOD-INV#2880 | 06/03/2025 | Paid | $9,654.89 |
Two invoices were voided, yet on the same day, two new ones were paid for the exact same sums. The total payout for March amounted to over one hundred and fifty-four thousand dollars.
April dipped slightly, but still the invoices remained below ten thousand dollars. But just weeks later, the system surges significantly, nearly seven hundred thousand dollars in payments across two different days.
Through mid-2025 the payments remain high, steady, rapid disbursements, month after month, dozens of invoices under ten thousand dollars.
By September, payments reached their peak, more than nine hundred thousand dollars in a single month.
At the same time, more invoices are being cancelled, with activity that raises further concern. Three invoices with invoice number 1076, two cancelled and one paid.
| MOD-INV#1078 | 04/09/2025 | Cancelled | $6,092.35 | |||
| MOD-INV#1076 | 04/09/2025 | Cancelled | $6,092.35 | |||
| MOD-INV#1076 | 04/09/2025 | Cancelled | $6,280.77 | |||
| MOD-INV#1076 | 04/09/2025 | Paid | $6,280.77 |
And as the year closed, the pace accelerated once again, with another major payment in December. Then, a sudden drop, payments fell sharply in January, signaling a possible reset. But the slowdown doesn’t last, by February and March, high-value payments surge back, marking one of the most concentrated bursts on record.
By this month, June, the numbers begin a steady decline. But this is not the full story, because ten invoices are from the Office of the Prime Minister for Grocery Bags.
Prime Minister John Briceño
Prime Minister John Briceño
“What is there to explain. You are grasping at straws. I have no idea. The people of finance were the one that did that and we did nothing illegal there.
And while all these invoices were above ten thousand dollars, here are the times those disbursements were made. August 2025, $10,350, September 2025, $10,400, November 2025 $10,350, December 2025 two payments of $10350, January 2026 $31,050, March 2026 $12, 425, April 2026, three separate payments of $11,250 dollars.
Paul Lopez
“What is the need in your office for grocery bags PM?”
Prime Minister John Briceño
“I think you need to ask the Cabinet Secretary; he is the one that looks after payments.”
The numbers show where the money went, but now the real questions are: who signed off on it, and how did these patterns slip through unchecked? Reporting for News Five, I am Paul Lopez.
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