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Chief Executive Officer in the Ministry of Transport, Chester Williams, yesterday provided a wide-ranging update on several enforcement and modernization initiatives currently underway within the department, including the ongoing investigation into missing funds at the ministry’s Spanish Lookout office. The matter first surfaced in May of last year when an audit uncovered that more than eighty thousand dollars had been stolen from the branch. At the time, Love News reported that discrepancies were detected after local businessmen realized that although their receipts reflected full payments, smaller amounts were being recorded in the system. Speaking with the media, Williams confirmed that the case remains under active investigation, involving both internal administrative review and criminal probes.
Chester Williams, CEO, Ministry of Transportation: “I can say to you that the matter, I just got the letter from the Public Service Commission yesterday, the show cause letter, which we served on Ms. Pascasio which means now that the Public Service Commission is going to hear that matter. We’re hoping that it will be expedited and hopefully in due course, remember the commission will have to ensure that due process is followed, giving her time to respond to the show cause and if the matter goes to a trial giving her adequate disclosure and adequate time to prepare her defense for the trial. So it is not something I think the commission is going to rush through. There are a number of potential witnesses who would be called to the trial should there be one. And so I anticipate it’s going to take some time, but the matter is before the commission.”
The CEO has previously cautioned that recovering the missing funds may be difficult, but says authorities are exploring all available options. These include the possible involvement of the Financial Intelligence Unit to help trace any assets that may have been acquired during the audit period, which spans 2021 to 2024. Williams also used the opportunity to outline broader enforcement efforts now taking place across the transport sector. He confirmed that countrywide bus inspections are currently being conducted as part of an audit and assessment exercise tied to government’s plan to establish a National Bus Company.
Chester Williams, CEO, Ministry of Transportation: “Enforcement is critical. We hear our people complaining every day about the lack of enforcement and the type of activities that these busses have been involved in. And so we had an operation before day leading into the morning targeting only busses. And again, it was done in such a way that it does not impede traffic for those persons who commute to Belize City every day. I think for that period they issued I think 64 tickets to bus operators for failure to comply with conditions of road service permits and other infractions that were discovered on those buses. Again, we want to make sure that the buses do not put the commuters lives at risk. We saw recently where there have been fights, there have been crashes, there have been road rage, all sort of things. And so we have to make sure we stay on top of these things to give the commuters the best experience as they traverse the country on these public transportation.”
According to Williams, the inspections are designed to gather critical data on fleet condition, regulatory compliance, and operational standards to guide the next phase of public transportation reform. In a third update, the Transport CEO highlighted ongoing rehabilitation works at bus terminals nationwide, describing the upgrades as a key pillar of the government’s modernization push. Williams emphasized that the works should not be viewed as cosmetic fixes but rather as part of a long-term infrastructure strategy aimed at improving safety, passenger comfort, and operational efficiency across the public transport network.
Chester Williams, CEO, Ministry of Transportation: “Spending $2 million on the Belize terminal is not a bandied fix at all. That is extensive repair and retrofitting. The terminal in Belize City, the current terminal is going to be brought to human standards. That’s the reason why we get that amount of money approved. And with the upgrades in the terminal that increases the government equity in the National Bus Company because remember as the Minister had said what the government is putting into the company are the terminals across the country. So the fact that we are retrofitting these terminals, the cost for them increases likewise in Belmopan putting in $700,000 into to Belmopan terminal is not a bandaid fix either. And I wish I wish you would take a visit to the Belmopan terminal to see the upgrade that has been done in the first half of the terminal and report to the Belizean people the comfort and the luxury that you will be seeing when you visit the Belmopan terminal. Come tomorrow and see the world that is taking place there. It is totally transformed. Looks nice. You enter there you don’t want to leave. It’s comfortable, and that’s what we want for the terminals.”
He added that the terminal rehabilitation program represents a significant government investment intended to support the broader transformation of Belize’s public transportation system.
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