By Belize Live News Staff: A fresh batch of leaked Smart Stream records is fueling questions over the scale of government payments made to MP Farms, a company linked to the family of former Defence Minister Oscar Mira.
According to a review of more than fifty newly leaked screenshots, MP Farms received approximately $5.74 million in government payments over a period of about twenty-one and a half months, from September 2024 to June 2026. The records reviewed so far point to roughly 627 invoices totaling close to $6 million, which works out to an average payment of about $9,200 and a monthly average of around $260,000.
The figures have drawn particular attention when measured against government payment thresholds. Of the roughly 627 payments identified, around 615, or about 98 percent, were below $10,000. That is significant because payments under that amount do not trigger an additional level of review by the Treasury Department, and the pattern has raised questions about whether procurement safeguards may have been bypassed. The largest concentration of payments reportedly came in September 2025, when Mira was serving as Minister of Defence, totaling about $680,000 that month alone.
MP Farms, formerly known as Mount Pleasant Farms, supplies fruits, vegetables, groceries and other food products to government agencies, including the Belize Defence Force and the Belize Coast Guard. The company is owned by Stanley Mira, while Brian Mira is listed as a contact. Both are brothers of Oscar Mira. The bulk of the payments reportedly came from the Ministry of Defence, with a smaller portion from the Office of the Prime Minister.
It is important to note that no findings of wrongdoing have been made. Oscar Mira has denied any involvement in awarding contracts or influencing payments, saying that tenders are publicly advertised and that decisions are made by procurement committees, not by ministers. Asked about the payments, he acknowledged the concern but said he did not know whether anything was done illegally. Prime Minister John Briceño has urged the public not to rush to judgment, stressing the importance of determining whether the government received value for money, and said it is best to wait for the findings.
The matter is now the subject of an audit by the Auditor General, requested by the government, which is expected to take about three months. Mira has since taken a leave of absence from Cabinet while that review is carried out. As more of the leaked records are analyzed, additional details about the payments are expected to come to light.
