Finance officer placed on leave amid Mira payment probe

By Breaking Belize News Staff (HP): A finance officer connected to the Ministry of Defence has been placed on administrative leave as investigations continue into government payments linked to businesses connected to the Mira family.

Financial Secretary Joseph Waight confirmed the development, saying that the finance officer who was attached to the Ministry of Defence up to October 2024 has been placed on administrative leave pending the ongoing investigations.

The move comes as government auditors and financial officials continue to examine millions of dollars in payments made to companies tied to members of the Mira family. Recent reviews of leaked Smart Stream records have shown hundreds of invoices, many of them falling just below key financial oversight thresholds, raising questions about whether established procurement and payment procedures were bypassed.

Waight was careful to note how the decision should be understood. He stressed that placing the officer on leave should not be taken as a finding of guilt, but rather as a standard administrative measure while investigations are carried out.

The development is the latest in a controversy that has drawn weeks of public attention. Minister Oscar Mira, who previously headed the Ministry of Defence, has denied any involvement in awarding contracts or directing payments, maintaining that procurement decisions are made by committees rather than ministers. A separate audit into the ministry, requested by the government and to be conducted by the Auditor General, is expected to take about three months. No findings have been made at this stage.

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