BNN and GFI continue to support investigative journalism

The Belize Network of NGOs (BNN), in partnership with Global Financial Integrity (GFI), continues to support investigative journalism as a critical tool for accountability, transparency, and informed public discourse in Belize. 

In the previous fellowship cycle, support from BNN and GFI enabled in-depth investigations into issues of national importance. These included a deep dive into Belize’s bus industry, which examined longstanding challenges related to regulation, public safety, and service delivery, as well as an investigation into tourism investments impacting Belize’s marine space. Together, these pieces highlighted governance gaps, weak oversight, and the real-world consequences of decisions affecting both people and the environment. 

Building on this work, the current round of the fellowship will see the publication of new investigative articles. These upcoming pieces continue the focus on rigorous, evidence-based reporting and community-grounded research, examining issues that shape Belize’s social, economic, and environmental landscape. Below are excerpts from each of the forthcoming investigations. 

1. Freelance reporter Marion Ali, in her latest investigative report, exposes under-the-table deals at the Customs Department and explores allegations of decades-old unchecked corruption within the department. This story looks at how this type of corruption takes from the Belizean people.

See the story at these links:

https://www.7newsbelize.com/sstory.php?nid=77112

https://www.facebook.com/reel/2085509642214949

https://www.facebook.com/reel/1211043150657969

Will Governments, present and future, be held to account for whom they choose to do business with?

2. Aaron Humes’s latest two-part investigative article takes a deep dive explaining how the closure of Belize's beneficial ownership registries limits the work of journalists.

The new beneficial ownership (BO) regime, introduced since the Boledo scandal according to Humes, helps to cloak the identity of ultimate owners and introduces financial barriers to inquiring about company information.

Read the two-part series at the links below:

https://www.breakingbelizenews.com/.../perfect-secrecy...

https://www.breakingbelizenews.com/.../perfect-secrecy...

These articles were produced through a partnership with Global Financial Integrity, a Washington, D.C.-based think tank focused on illicit financial flows, and were facilitated by the Belize Network of NGOs.