By Belize Live News Staff: As the review into government payments linked to the Mira family continues, a finance officer attached to the Ministry of Defence has been temporarily stepped aside from duty.
Financial Secretary Joseph Waight confirmed that the officer, who served at the Ministry of Defence up to October 2024, has been placed on administrative leave while investigations proceed. The decision, he explained, is a procedural one and should not be read as any indication of guilt.
The officer’s leave comes against the backdrop of an examination of millions of dollars in government payments to businesses connected to members of the Mira family. At the centre of the scrutiny are leaked Smart Stream records that reportedly show hundreds of invoices, a large number of which fell just under the thresholds that would trigger an additional layer of financial oversight. That pattern has raised questions about whether the relevant procedures were sidestepped, though nothing has been established.
Waight has previously acknowledged concerns about how the payments moved through the system, while also making clear that no one has alleged fraud at this point. The placing of the finance officer on leave, he said, is simply a standard step taken while the matter is looked into.
For now, the investigations remain ongoing. The government has asked the Auditor General to audit the Ministry of Defence for the relevant period, a process expected to last about three months. Minister Oscar Mira, who led the ministry during part of the period under review, has denied any role in the awarding of contracts or the handling of payments. No conclusions have been reached.
