Belmopan Market Fee Dispute Sparks Legal Standoff With City Council

Tonight, the owner of the Belmopan Market Plaza and the Belmopan City Council are at odds over an agreement that was inked under the city’s former administration. On April 1, the council, through its attorney, informed the plaza’s owner, David Zabaneh that vendors at his facility would need to begin paying trade license fees. The notice came after the council learned that Zabaneh had signed an agreement in 2021 to cover Trade License fees for all vendors on the property. The council informed Zabaneh that the five year blanket agreement, which sees him pay thirty thousand annually, was illegal based on the Trade License Act. The notice stated that the vendors would not be able to continue selling their products at the market plaza without a valid trade license. Additionally, today, a team from the council’s trade license unit was to meet with vendors and to assess their appropriate fees. However, the council was informed that the team would have not been welcomed, and moved to desist from the action. Today, Mayor of Belmopan Pablo Cawich explained that while the council has given a deadline of April 15, they have entered into negotiations with Zabaneh, who was informed of the issue some months ago.

Pablo Cawich,  Mayor of Belmopan: “We had reached out to the owners of the Belmopan Market Plaza, I believe it was in December or early January, and presented this information to them in a meeting.  They were not  happy to hear that there were issues and we explained that we would have to work something around to ensure that we can fix the issue. They weren’t happy to hear that. We had also discussed the MOU, which had the issues. I would like to point out that based on historic records that we saw, market stalls and market areas used to generate over $300,000 a year for Belmopan that has now been cut to just $30,000. When we started the formal or written communication with Mr. Zabaneh we got a response in writing as well with a second MOU attached. We did not have knowledge or any record of this second MOU. This second MOU changes two portions. It changes the term of the MOU, which is now based on the second MOU 30 years. It also increases the rate to 32,000 a year, at which point I would like to mention that in the previous years up until now April 2025 the maximum funds we have received from the Belmopan Market Plaza are 30,000 dollars annually in installments. So for now I think we have received their first payment for the 2025 year and it’s only the first installment, which is a $5,000 install.”

While Cawich says the council’s goal is to formalize the vendors, Zabaneh has labelled the move as an attack on small businesses. Our newsroom spoke to Zabaneh about the situation who alleges that while it was signed under former Mayor Sharon Palacio, it is a legal contract signed between him and the council. 

David Zabaneh, Owner, Belmopan Market Plaza: “Actually, like you said, was April 1st, right? So like this is a good April Fool’s joke because you’d be a fool to send a letter like that knowing well, you know, that we, well at least from our end I checked with our attorneys, we’re well within our right. We have been for the last couple of years, every year, we receive our trade license, pay an exorbitant fee to make this work, over $30,000 a year. And, you know, I thought it was a joke. So kind of laughed at it first. And then I said, you know what, let me call the mayor. He didn’t pick up. So I had other people reach out,  same thing. They kept quiet on it. So I called my attorney. I said, hey,  receive this letter. We need to respond. So we already sent them a response. We have been getting attacks from them or how would you say?  They’ve been putting pressure on us.  Every market day, they come in with their, they send in the traffic officers to  issue tickets on private property to parked vehicles. So that’s something they’ve been doing since December, trying to intimidate. And you know, it’s just reached that point where we’re not going to sit back and take it lightly because we do have a solid case.”

Reporter: So I believe your solid case is built on the MOU that you guys signed in 2021 with the former mayor. But in their letter they’re basically stating that in their legal opinion that MOU is null and void. 
David Zabaneh, Owner, Belmopan Market Plaza:“Well, that’s for the court to decide. We have a follow up MOU in 2023 which gives us you know, a 30 year agreement to run the market which in the end of 2023 that’s when we actually move forward and purchased the property to make sure that market stays here. And we have that agreement that, you know, giving back to the city, we will keep the market here in the central location. So the 2021 MOU, I remember it, the entire trade license board came out. This wasn’t a decision made by the mayor herself. Everyone came out, we had DOE did their inspection, fire department, health department. They came, we walked the grounds, we did everything we needed to do, by the book and the trade license board was the one that approved our trade license. So  subsequently, everything has pretty much stayed the same. We operated within our rights and you know they can’t just come in and revoke a trade license for no particular reason because they feel like the mayor acted outside of her jurisdiction.”

Zabaneh also noted that if the agreement were to be rendered null and void, he would move to collect monies owed to him by the council that he had forgone under the agreement. He stated that figure would be somewhere around one hundred thousand dollars plus interest.