By: Omar Silva: Editor/Publisher

National Perspective Belize – Digital 2026

www.nationalperspectivebz.com

Belize City: Wednesday 28th January 2026

National Perspective Belize Investigative Feature

INTRODUCTION: A Telecommunications Trojan Horse

What began as speculation has now unravelled into what many Belizeans fear is yet another backdoor deal — a public asset grab masked as “telecom consolidation,” cloaked in corporate-speak, and shrouded by layers of political manoeuvring. At the centre of it all? Belize Telemedia Limited (BTL), Speednet Communications (SMART), and the silent choreography of the Briceno Administration.

This isn't merely a corporate acquisition. It is a calculated takeover attempt — one that exposes the fragile boundaries between public office and private interest, and one that now triggers a national reckoning on transparency, democracy, and sovereignty.

PART I: THE COORDINATED CAPTURE

🔍 The Players Behind the Curtain

The core of this drama lies in the intersecting ownership and political proximity of two dominant actors:

• BTL – Belize’s flagship telecom utility, nationalized in 2009, with majority shares held by the Government and the Social Security Board (SSB).
• SMART (Speednet) – a private competitor, long associated with Lord Michael Ashcroft’s network, and quietly co-owned by a company whose majority shareholder is Jaime Briceno, the Prime Minister’s brother.

👉 Conflict of Interest Unveiled:

The revelation that the Briceno family has a direct financial stake in the SMART entity that stands to benefit from a sellout deal is the heart of this controversy. It is a textbook case of what constitutional scholars call self-dealing — where a public official’s family stands to benefit from the decisions made by the government they lead.

🤐 The Quiet Negotiations

For months, the Briceño Administration denied or dodged questions about BTL's plans to purchase Speednet. But leaked boardroom documents and whistleblower accounts have painted a clearer picture:

• BTL began due diligence to acquire Speednet shares in 2024.
• SMART’s valuation was never disclosed publicly.
• The BTL Board attempted to fast-track approval without broad consultation.

👉 Cabinet Complicity:

Cabinet ministers, including the Minister of Finance and Minister of Public Utilities, were briefed. But Parliament was bypassed, and the Public Utilities Commission (PUC) was left in the dark — despite its regulatory authority under the Telecommunications Act.

PART II: THE LAW, THE LOOPHOLES, AND THE LIES

📜 Telecommunications Act Breached

The Telecommunications Act, Section 23, is unambiguous:

"No licensee may assign, transfer, sell, or merge with another licensee without prior written approval of the Commission."

Yet the BTL board moved forward without public PUC approval, without public valuation, and without public consultation.

This constitutes a regulatory breach and an unlawful consolidation attempt. Even worse, it represents a political betrayal of Belize’s competitive telecom landscape, long protected by bipartisan consensus.

📉 Monopoly by Another Name

The proposed merger would grant BTL an artificial monopoly, reversing a decade of liberalization that birthed better prices, wider access, and consumer options.

Consumers rightly fear:

• Higher data and voice prices
• Declining service innovation
• Closure of SMART employment and retail outlets
• Loss of private-sector telecom competition

👉 What was once a policy of competitive duality is being quietly dismantled.

PART III: CROSS-SECTORAL REBUKE

In an unprecedented rebuke, every major civil and economic institution has issued warnings or outright opposition to the deal.

📌 Chamber of Commerce (BCCI):

“There must be full transparency before any final decision is made.”

📌 National Trade Union Congress of Belize (NTUCB):

“This is a dangerous consolidation of power. No acquisition without public consultation.”

📌 The Senate (Senators Kevin Herrera and Janelle Chanona):

“A betrayal of good governance… a dangerous delusion… no due process, no regulatory clarity, no consumer benefit.”

📌 Former PM Dean Barrow:

“This deal reeks of impropriety. The Briceño Administration may live to regret this.”

Even Former UDP Leader, Moses Shyne Barrow, often hesitant to strike aggressively, labelled it:

“One of the biggest conflicts of interest in Belize’s history.”

PART IV: THE PEOPLE PUSH BACK

On January 27, 2026, the National Perspective Belize was present observing

as protesters breached the BTL compound, stopping the board meeting in its tracks. Police responded with tear gas. Images flooded social media. The BTL compound became the frontline of Belize’s fight for transparency.

This protest was no fluke. It marked the beginning of a broader civic uprising:

• Activists warn of legal challenges.
• Trade unions plan industrial resistance.
• SSB contributors demand a halt to all risky investment in the name of “telecom consolidation.”

PART V: A PATTERN OF SECRET DEALS

This BTL–SMART scandal is not isolated. It mirrors other “Briceño-era secret transactions”:

Secret Deal                                                                   Nature                                                                                                       Public Reaction

* Stake Bank Acquisition                        *  Compulsory acquisition without disclosure of indemnity or investor                *  Legal limbo, MSC shipping links

*  Belmopan Hospital Land Deal           * Cabinet deal without full parliamentary oversight                                             *  FOIA demands from social partners

*  Digital ID Biometric Program             * Secret MOU with U.S. State Dept, no citizen consultation                                *  Privacy fears

* 13th Amendment Bill                          * Rushed, vague public consultation, near total public rejection                          * Still on legislative agenda

The trend is clear: Cabinet overreach, parliamentary exclusion, public funds at risk, and no transparency.

PART VI: THE WAY FORWARD — OR BACKWARDS?

🔍 Investigative Audit Now Required

The Social Security Board (SSB), the Ministry of Public Utilities, and BTL’s internal audit department must be compelled to release:

• Valuation reports on SMART
• Names of shareholder companies and beneficial owners
• Minutes of Cabinet and BTL Board Meetings
• Any side agreements with Ashcroft-affiliated entities

🧑‍⚖️ Judicial Review

A challenge under Section 13 (Fundamental Rights) and Section 69 (Finance & Accountability) of the Belize Constitution may be warranted — particularly if public assets are used to enrich insiders.

📢 National Consultation

If there is to be any “restructuring” of Belize’s telecom sector, it must be:

• Parliamentary-led
• Constitutionally compliant
• Consultative with labor, business, and consumers

CONCLUSION: BELIZE MUST CHOOSE ITS FUTURE

The BTL–SMART saga is more than a business merger.

It is a battle for Belize’s democratic soul, a fight to preserve the sanctity of public institutions, and a warning that unchecked executive power always comes at a cost.

📣 If Belizeans do not fight to hold the line here, the next deal will be easier. The next secret will be deeper. And the next betrayal will be bigger.

National Perspective Belize: “Holding Power to Account”