Mar 12, 2021
Karen Bevans
After months of controversy Karen Bevans is officially out at the Belize Tourism Board. This evening News Five was the first to report that the B.T.B. staff has been informed of the embattled Director’s departure. As we’ve been reporting since late last year, Bevans had come under scrutiny after refusing to step down from her post following the November 2020 General Elections. At the start of 2019, Bevans signed a five-year contract to remain as the Director of Tourism until 2024. The sweet deal awarded Bevans one hundred and seventy-three thousand dollars annually – with a number of plum perks and rewards. Just last month, an investigation was launched following reports the B.T.B. had dipped into the pension fund to pay salaries last year. The allegation is that that over four hundred thousand dollars in pension funds were used between July and November 2020. Both Bevans and former B.T.B. Chair Einer Gomez were under fire for the decision. The Ministry of Tourism tells News Five they will be issuing a full statement on Monday about this change. We revisit an interview with Minister of Tourism Anthony Mahler where he explained the latest investigation into Bevans last month.