By Belize Live News Staff: As tensions flare over the future of the Belmopan Market Plaza, Mayor Pablo Cawich is pushing back against claims that the City Council is targeting vendors. In a press briefing held via Zoom, the Mayor firmly stated, “The Belmopan City Council is not attacking or going after any vendor in the market area. That is a narrative… we are not after these vendors.”
The controversy stems from an agreement signed in 2021 between investor David Zabaneh and the previous mayor, which allowed Zabaneh to pay a blanket trade license fee of $30,000 annually to cover all vendors operating under his plaza. Zabaneh argues that the agreement, which he says was legally authorized, allowed small businesses to operate affordably and efficiently.
Mayor Cawich, however, emphasized that the Trade License Act does not recognize blanket coverage, stating that every business must obtain its own license. The Council, he said, was approached by the Belize Tax Service in 2024 about the legality of such agreements, prompting a review.
Adding further complexity, the Mayor revealed that a second MOU, reportedly signed without the knowledge of the current Council, altered the terms of the original agreement and extended its validity to 30 years. “We did not have knowledge or any record of this second MOU,” Cawich said.
When asked about Zabaneh’s claim that his business model depends on the MOU, Cawich stood firm: “We have an obligation to ensure that things operate legally and happen legally, so the legality of the operation has to be rectified.”
As the dispute continues, the livelihoods of hundreds of vendors hang in the balance, and questions remain about the transparency and authority of public-private agreements under prior administrations.
