Ayuso on September 27, 2024, pleaded guilty to money laundering and theft of over a million dollars from the National Sports Council of the Government of Belize.
BELIZE CITY, Thurs. Mar. 27, 2025
It was exactly six months ago, on September 27, 2024, that Ivan Ayuso, a former National Sports Council employee, pleaded guilty to money laundering and theft of over one million dollars from the National Sports Council (NSC).
Ivan Ayuso was found guilty of using his position as a Senior Accountant Clerk to make unauthorized additional “salary” disbursements to himself using NSC funds, and then using those monies for various items of personal expenditure.
Ayuso’s plea was tendered pursuant to a plea agreement which included among its terms a requirement that he would not oppose any application brought thereafter for the forfeiture of his property situated at #246 Jack Fruit Crescent in the Belama Phase 2 area of Belize City; which Ayuso accepted when he entered a plea of guilty in September 2024.
Ayuso on that day agreed as part of his guilty plea that he used the proceeds of the theft directly to pay off the mortgage on the Belama property.
Three days ago, High Court judge Nigel Pilgrim handed down his decision, which has stripped Ayuso and his now ex-wife of what had been their family home.
Justice Nigel Pilgrim noted that the proceedings are believed to be one of the first, if not the very first of its kind to emerge from a post-conviction forfeiture application in the Senior Courts of Belize.
He ended by saying, “Hopefully, it is not the last, so Belize can do its part in the global war to take the profit out of crime.”
The judge’s order laid out all that is expected to occur during the next six months.
Included in the order are instructions that 70% of the value of the house where Ayuso and his then wife, now ex-wife, lived (which has a market value of $635,000.00 and a forced sale value of $585,000.00), be forfeited to the Crown (the Government of Belize) and 30% of the value of the property be given to his ex-wife, Tanya Racquelle Savery.
The house is located at #246 Jack Fruit Crescent in the Belama Phase 2 area of Belize City.
Appearing in court as the Applicant in the forfeiture proceedings was the Director of Public Prosecutions, Cheryl Lynn-Vidal S.C., alongside Ms. Chanelle Fernandez, a Crown Counsel at the Director of Public Prosecution (DPP)’s office, FIU (Financial Intelligence Unit) Director, Ms. Yeni Ysaguirre-McGann, and Janelle Thomas-Shorter, also of the FIU. Representing the Respondent, Ivan Ayuso, was Darrell Bradley/Kimberly Wallace, and attorney Erin Quiroz represented Ayuso’s ex-wife, Tanya Racquelle Savery, who was an Interested Party.
Based on the terms of Ivan Ayuso’s guilty plea, the DPP on October 25, 2024, had made an application to forfeit the Belama property pursuant to Section 49 of the Money Laundering Terrorism (Prevention) Act 1 (“the MLTPA”).
That’s when Ayuso’s wife, now ex-wife, came into the forfeiture proceedings.
Tanya Racquelle Savery, (“the Interested Party”), as the Respondent, sought a declaration that her interest in the Belama property not be affected by any forfeiture order pursuant to Section 52 of the MLTPA.
As the Third Party, (3rd Party), Tanya Savery’s attorney, Erin Quiros, as the Interested Party, had submitted that the forfeiture application was also out of time, having regards to the limitation period set out in Section 85 of the MLTPA. However, the Applicant, DPP Vidal, submitted that their application was brought shortly after Ayuso’s conviction, to wit, his guilty plea, and before the limitation period expired.
And after Justice Nigel Pilgrim had considered the legal framework of the application and submissions which were made, which made the forfeiture application a very lengthy one that lasted for six months, on Monday he delivered his ruling in the forfeiture proceedings.
Among his stipulations were that 70% of the proceeds of the sale shall be deposited into the Belize Confiscated and Forfeited Assets Fund; and the remaining 30% of the proceedings of the sale be deposited into the account of Balderamos Arthurs LLP on behalf of the Interested Party, (Tanya Savery); that Savery shall not remove or cause anyone to remove any fixtures affixed to the property that will diminish the value of the property; that the FIU shall have sole control of the property as from the date of the sealing of the Consent Order and shall have sole conduct of the sale; and that within 3 business days from the dealing of the Consent Order, the Interested Party shall provide to FIU, the original Land Certificate of the property as well as the keys to the property and any other items necessary for the FIU to obtain control over the property.
Other stipulations include a requirement that within a reasonable time from the date of the sealing of the Consent Order, the FIU shall obtain at least two (2) other valuations of the property in order to properly determine the fair market value of the property; that each party shall bear his or her own costs of those proceedings; and that a Report Hearing shall be scheduled within 6 months from the date of the sealing of the Consent Order, namely, on September 23, 2025, in order to inform the Court of the steps taken and progress made regarding the sale of the property.
Ivan Ayuso did not make an appearance in court in person; however, he appeared virtually, as he listened from his cell at the Belize Central Prison located at the Kolbe Foundation.