P.U.P. Criticizes Government Over David Nanes Schnitzer Debacle
David Nanes Schnitzer
International fugitive David Nanes Schnitzer, alias David Banes, remains at large tonight after skipping a mandatory check-in at the San Pedro Police Substation on Monday. There is no confirmation, but there is reason to believe that he has already left the country. San Pedro police would only say today that they had heard a report that Nanes left by sea after he did not present himself at the station, which was a condition of his release on a ten-thousand-dollar bond last Friday granted by Justice Dennis Hannomasingh. His disappearance and the manner in which he fraudulently obtained a series of Belizean documents, including a passport, driver’s licenses and credit cards has come under the microscope. That is because the Immigration and Nationality Department even after learning that the Mexican businessman used a false information to obtain the passport in 2012 and permanent residency, took no action to prosecute him for the criminal offence. When Nanes was released on Friday, bail was granted simply on the fact that he was caught in possession of a falsified driver’s license. Forgery of the travel document was never taken into consideration nor was the fact that the Mexican government wanted him for defrauding investors of forty-two million U.S. dollars. That sequence of events has prompted the People’s United Party to issue a release criticizing the sluggish response of the ministries of Immigration and National Security.
Lisa Shoman
Lisa Shoman, P.U.P. Senator
“As a party we are very concerned and we are deeply dissatisfied with the way that the David Banes situation has been handled. Obviously the D.P.P.’s office is independent and it carries on its own functions but the Ministry of National Security and the Ministry of Immigration had a particular role to play in terms of David Banes, or as his proper name is, David Nanes Schnitzer. And the Department of Immigration certainly knew from as early as two weeks ago that David Banes was a fake identity and that David Miguel Nanes Schnitzer had obtained permanent residence, had obtained citizenship, had obtained a passport and then obviously used that to obtain almost every other form of ID available in Belize, including driver’s license, boat captain’s license, so on and so forth. And two weeks ago, knowing this neither the Ministry of Immigration or the Ministry of National Security moved to make any formal complaint to have this man arrested and charged and the only charge that seemed to have been placed on him was obtaining a driver’s license by fraud or deception. Now when you add that to the background that on Tuesday the Ministry of Immigration knew enough to issue an order on Wednesday the eighteenth, canceling or revoking the citizenship of Nanes Schnitzer or David Banes and cancelling his passport then by then at least charges should have been laid. 
And then this farce where this man went to court, the D.P.P.’s office was completely unprepared for whatever reason, was not there to deal adequately with the bail application and the judge gave this gentleman bail, making a decision that he wasn’t a flight risk and that subsequently now we find out that this Nanes Schnitzer, who is an internationally wanted fugitive, has disappeared. And neither the Ministry of Immigration or the Ministry of National Security has had anything to say to the Belizean people about this. When you put that Isani, against the background of what is happening in the world today, instability, terror, terror groups, people using fake identifications in Honduras recently. Syrians were found with fake passports, it really raises the entire issue of the immigration scandal, Pennergate. What has happened, what all has happened. As you know, that broke because we found when Wong Hong Kim was arrested, now David Banes has been wanted, he was found with the help of, as I understand it, Mexican authorities and U.S. Marshals. He was certainly taken into custody with the help of U.S. Marshals and somehow or the other the law enforcement authorities in this country have managed to lose sight of David Banes.”
Money Money Money, Mcafee had money, now he’s gone. Scnitzer had money now he’s gone. You have no money and steal some underwear, you gone…to prison. What’s wrong with this picture?
I posted yesterday that this case the judge should be taken accountable for doing the most stupid decision to give the international wanted criminal bail. HE should be sanction or removed from judging further cases like this. But since we’re in Belize he’ll get a promotion to a higher level eventually while the Mexican comprades are left with a bitters taste and uncle Sam very red faced angry. How in the world would a judge do that, being a wanted criminal internationally and the charges he was given don’t match the crime for fraud of documents he had. Where is the immigration, social security, traffic both land and the boat traffic dept.s for giving him fraud cards. mein so messed up is our departments, at this era we’re living things should be more tight but mein we’re screwed up in this Jewel of ours.
i wonder how much the judge was paid. He is the only one (including his own lawyer I suspect) that “believed” he wouldn’t be a flight risk.
WELL…THEY TOLD YOU THAT !!! YOU FORGOT ALREADY?
THE BEST IS YET TO COME !!!
The judge should be immediately removed. All the departments that should have come up with charges for all those fraudulent documents should also be held legally irresponsible. I suppose the wife is no longer a wife because she married a fictitious person? Or was she in on it too? 10K bail for someone who has millions of dollars at his disposal? Utterly ridiculous. Our corruption is as high in the courts as it is in our government.