By Charles Gladden

BELIZE CITY, Mon. Nov. 3, 2025

   The National Trade Union Congress of Belize (NTUCB) is asking the Government of Belize (GoB) to withdraw its decision to take the Ombudsman of Belize, Major (Ret’d) Herman Gilbert Swaso, to court after his honoring of the Freedom of Information request by social activist, Jeremy Enriquez.

   “This action represents a direct affront to the principles of what we consider good governance. Principles that the NTUCB has consistently championed, and that the government itself has pledged to uphold [in] its Plan Belize 2020 commitments,” said Ella Waight, NTUCB President.

   “The NTUCB will do everything within its power to ensure that this administration lives up to good governance practices. We will put the Briceño Administration on notice as a national representative of workers and, as usual, steadfast advocate for transparency and accountability; the NTUCB will not remain silent while the government targets an office whose very purpose is to protect citizens’ rights, promote accountability, transparency, and fairness in public administration,” Waight added.

   Initially, Enriquez sought answers on how much money the Briceño Administration had spent on legal fees in the redistricting cases, causing him to file a Freedom of Information request with the Attorney General’s Ministry, asking for the total cost and the names of the attorneys hired.

   Enriquez’s request was denied, then he turned to the Office of the Ombudsman to review the initial denial. After reviewing the request denial by the Attorney General, Ombudsman Gilbert Swaso wrote to the AG recommending that he reconsider his position and requesting that he “provide partial disclosure”of the requested information,redacting/excluding those portions that may be considered “legitimately exempt”, providing that the Ombudsman is authorized to review such documents to ascertain whether they are “in fact confidential in nature”. However, this was apparently too much to ask of the Briceño Administration, as they have reportedly decided to challenge the Ombudsman’s request in court.

   “We stand firmly in solidarity with the Office of the Ombudsman, recognizing that this matter is one of significant public interest. The legal cost associated with this case, which Mr. Enriquez has questioned about, is drawn from the consolidated fund and as such public funds, public money. We stand firmly in solidarity with the Office of the Ombudsman, recognizing that this matter is one of significant public interest and feel that it is not to be hidden; the amounts should not be hidden or restricted from public scrutiny,” Waight mentioned.

   The role of the Ombudsman is to uphold justice and fairness, provide checks on government activity in the interests of citizens, and oversee the investigation of complaints of improper government activity against citizens.

   “There are only five areas where the Ombudsman cannot investigate. If it deals with national security, BDF, foreign affairs, and the granting of honors and awards; and what Mr. Enriquez has asked for, and what he’s asking for does not fall in those categories of those five areas,” Waight mentioned.

   “He [the Ombudsman] is the poor man’s lawyer where we can turn to. And this is what Mr. Enriquez did. If we’re going to be silencing the Office of the Ombudsman, what next? It is concerning for us as workers… It’s not logical that the same office that you said that you would strengthen, you turn around and now you will take [to] court. It doesn’t make any sense. So, we have to ask the question, why? Why would you do something like this? Is it to cover just an amount of money that was spent on legal fees? Or is there something else?” she added.