By Belize Live News Staff: She once wore the crown, but today former Miss Universe Belize Isabella “Bella” Zabaneh is making headlines for something far removed from the pageant stage, a political controversy centred on the $10,000 procurement threshold.
Attending Saturday’s National Party Council Meeting as a People’s United Party (PUP) supporter from Stann Creek West, Zabaneh took to the floor to urge the government to raise the $10,000 limit on transactions that a Ministry’s Finance Officer can approve. That very threshold sits at the core of the scandal currently gripping the administration.
As has been reported, the government is embroiled in a controversy involving thousands of sub-$10,000 transactions approved for politically connected companies. According to the reporting, those transactions were kept below the threshold and signed off by the Ministry of Defence Finance Officer, in what critics allege was a bid to sidestep scrutiny from the Ministry of Finance. The matter is currently under audit, and no findings have been made.
Brushing aside the allegations as “media propaganda,” Zabaneh pressed her case to the Prime Minister. She argued that a $10,000 cap is far too low for ministries in the current economy, describing it as micromanagement that overburdens the Financial Secretary’s office. “Great leaders are remembered for making hard decisions,” she said, urging the administration to raise the ceiling. “We are not a party of thieves; we are a party of love, and we are not afraid of any other party or the media propaganda that they will push.”
Prime Minister John Briceño praised Zabaneh’s courage in making the recommendation, calling her “very thoughtful” and “brave.” Yet he offered no commitment to the proposal, noting instead that the government has spent over a year working with the IDB on new legislation to establish a Central Procurement Unit.
The reaction online, however, was anything but kind. After the remarks circulated on social media, Zabaneh was hit with a wave of condemnation, with many commenters accusing her of defending corruption.
The backlash prompted the PUP’s United Women’s Group to come to her defence. In a statement, the group, noting that Zabaneh is the great-grandniece of national hero George Price, condemned what it described as “unwarranted criticism and harsh attacks,” and denounced the “malicious backlash directed at Ms. Isabella Zabaneh.”
With a former beauty queen, a national hero’s lineage, a sitting Prime Minister, and an unfolding scandal all in the mix, the saga has captured the public’s attention like few others in recent memory.
