The United States has revoked the visa of Senior Counsel Godfrey Phillip Smith, the Belizean jurist currently chairing Guyana’s Commission of Inquiry into the July 18 sinking of the passenger vessel MV Barima, according to a report published Monday by Greater Belize Media.
The report, published by the Belizean media outlet, said Smith shared with its newsroom a copy of an email from the US Embassy’s consular section informing him that his visa had been revoked.
According to the reported correspondence, the Embassy stated that information had come to light indicating that Smith might be ineligible for his visa. It further advised that if he was not physically present in the United States, the revocation would take effect immediately.
Smith reportedly said he had not been given any specific reason for the decision.
The US Embassy has not publicly provided an explanation in the reported account, and there is no confirmed evidence establishing why the visa was revoked or whether the decision is connected to his professional activities.
Smith’s role in Guyana
The development has particular significance in Guyana because Smith is leading the five-member Commission of Inquiry established to investigate the capsizing and sinking of the state-owned MV Barima on July 18, 2026.
President Irfaan Ali appointed Smith, a former Belizean Justice of Appeal, to chair the inquiry. He brings extensive regional legal experience to the assignment, including service as CARICOM’s High-Level Representative for Law and Criminal Justice and as an ad hoc Justice of Appeal in the Eastern Caribbean Court of Appeal.
Smith also previously served as a member of Guyana’s Commission of Inquiry into the disputed 2020 General and Regional Elections.
The current commission comprises Smith as chairman, Jamaican maritime surveyor Captain Hamada Fouda, Trinidad and Tobago attorney Nyree Dawn Alfonso, Polish naval architect and marine engineer Dr Andrzej Jasionowski, and retired Trinidad and Tobago Rear Admiral Hayden Pritchard.
Its mandate is to establish the circumstances surrounding the disaster, determine the causes and contributing factors, examine possible failures in maritime safety and regulatory oversight, assess the search and rescue response, and recommend measures to prevent a recurrence.
Inquiry into one of Guyana’s deadliest maritime disasters
The MV Barima sank while travelling from Georgetown to Port Kaituma in Region One, resulting in a major loss of life and leaving survivors and bereaved families demanding answers.
The inquiry began public hearings at the Arthur Chung Conference Centre in October. During its first seven days, commissioners heard from 33 witnesses, including emergency responders and officials from maritime and aviation agencies. The commission also received a substantial volume of documentary evidence.
Smith has maintained that the inquiry will proceed independently and without predetermined conclusions.
“Our allegiance is to the law, our Terms of Reference, procedural fairness and the truth as established through credible and tested evidence.”
The commission temporarily suspended oral hearings in October to allow investigators to gather further evidence and statements from survivors and relatives. Hearings are scheduled to resume on November 10, with survivors, bereaved families and officials expected to provide further testimony.
China connection mentioned in Belize report
Greater Belize Media also reported that Smith, who chairs the University of Belize’s board of directors, had been involved in relations with the Chinese Government in recent months, including arranging visits to China for journalists and at least one parliamentarian.
The outlet noted that the visa decision came less than a month after China imposed sanctions on Belize’s Foreign Minister, Francis Fonseca.
However, the report did not establish any connection between Smith’s China-related activities and the US visa decision. No official explanation has been provided to substantiate such a link.
The development raises questions about whether the reported visa revocation will have any practical implications for Smith’s international engagements, but there is currently no indication that it will affect his ability to continue chairing the Guyana inquiry.
The Commission of Inquiry remains scheduled to resume public hearings on November 10.
