Tonight, the Ministry of Defense procurement scandal is no longer just about questionable invoices; it’s also about who got paid, how often, and why so many payments appear to have stayed just below the line that would trigger tougher scrutiny. Newly leaked government invoices show that more than two hundred and forty-two thousand dollars in public funds went to two individuals connected by the same address. One of them is Prime Minister John Briceño’s sibling, pulling the controversy even closer to the highest office in the country. As the paper trail grows, so do the questions: were these routine payments, clever invoice-splitting, or signs of a procurement system designed to avoid oversight? Tonight, we look at the latest names now caught in a scandal that keeps widening.
Paul Lopez, Reporting
This time, the documents are not tied to companies. They are in the names of individuals. There are thirty-three invoices in all, and, once again, the familiar pattern appears: ninety-three percent of them fall below the ten-thousand-dollar threshold. The names now surfacing in the leaked records are Addy Isora Del Carmen Ku and Javier Reul Briceño. According to the invoices, the Ministry of Defense paid Ku a total of $225,462.89 between November 2023 and July 2025. Briceño, meanwhile, was paid $16,767 on August twenty-fifth, 2025. Together, the two received $242,230.09 in public funds. But what makes this latest leak even more striking is the connection between the two payees. Both Ku and Briceño are listed at the same address: 61 Queen Victoria Avenue in Orange Walk. Information to News Five suggests that they are husband and wife. And there is another politically sensitive layer. Javier Reul Briceño is Prime Minister John Briceño’s brother, a connection that now pulls the widening controversy even closer to the highest office in the country. Of the thirty-three leaked invoices, only two exceeded the ten-thousand-dollar threshold. Both were for the exact same amount: $13,537.03. The list of businesses and individuals linked to leaked Smart Stream payments from the Ministry of Defense keeps growing. And tonight, with more names, more payments, and another family connection now in the spotlight, the Prime Minister finds himself at the center of the latest chapter in a scandal that shows no sign of slowing down.
On the Phone: Prime Minister John Briceño
“Javier Briceno is my brother.”
Paul Lopez
“How does it strike you that he is also in the Smart Stream system receiving payments from the Ministry of Defense?’
On the Phone: Prime Minister John Briceño
“How many payments did he get?”
Paul Lopez
“Three.”
On the Phone: Prime Minister John Briceno
“So you wah mek a big deal, let me make something very clear Paul, I said this many times and repeat it again. I said it this morning and will repeat it again, the Auditor General is doing an investigation and anybody, anybody that is found to have done anything wrong will be held liable. So now, if you believe that something gone wrong because of my brother with three payments, under ten thousand, you are looking at less than thirty thousand dollars, if he does something wrong he will have to answer, simple.”
Paul Lopez
“Is his wife Ms Ku?”
On the Phone: Prime Minister John Briceno
“No, I don’t know his wife’s name. Listen, I can’t speak about those things, because I don’t know what you are talking about. If you want to find out, talk to them, they can tell you. Just like how I didn’t know what the Mira family was getting and what Florencio and all of them were doing, I do not know. So call Javier, call my brother, and he can answer whatever questions you want. I can’t answer for what I do not know.”
Paul Lopez
“But your brother shows up in the system PM, you are the prime minister, this raises question.”
On the Phone: Prime Minister John Briceno
“Yes, this could raise all questions you want, whatever you want and that is fine. I don’t have a problem with that. I am telling you that I don’t even know how Smart Stream work, I have never been into the Smart Stream, because that is not my job. That is for the public officers. That is why we had that meeting on Tuesday and they explained to us how Smart Stream work. I don’t know who is in Smart Stream. So if you want to know anything you need to speak with Javier. You cant speak with me because I don’t know, and I will not speculate. I want to end with one more thing, if anything was wrong, if it was Javier or anybody, they will have to answer. I nuh the cover the fact.”
Paul Lopez
“Do you know what your brother supplies PM?”
On the Phone: Prime Minister John Briceno
“I do not know, Paul, I already told you from the beginning, I do not know.”
Reporting for News Five, I am Paul Lopez
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.
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