Joshua Perdomo Gets Amnesty After Defaulting on Government Debt

Joshua Perdomo

On Friday, a number of write-off motions, including the waiver of a forty thousand-dollar debt owed by Joshua Perdomo, were brought before the House of Representatives.  Joshua is the youngest son of former Minister of Police and present Cabinet Secretary Carlos Perdomo; he was granted study leave to pursue a Master’s Degree in Forensic Genetics at the University of North Texas.  For the three years that he was away, Perdomo was indebted to the Government of Belize to the tune of forty thousand dollars.  When he failed to return to work upon completion of his courses, his post was subsequently terminated and government sought to collect on the debt by agreeing to a payment schedule of one thousand dollars monthly until the arrears were settled.  But it seems as though the Cab Sec’s son has since vanished without a trace, not even his well-known father being able to locate him to honour his financial obligation to the taxpayers of Belize.  On the recommendation of Cabinet, Perdomo’s slate was wiped clean after the Solicitor General said that he was nowhere to be found.  It is interesting since it is hard to believe that the elder Perdomo would not know the whereabouts of his son to furnish the Sol Gen with such information.  Here’s how the Prime Minister introduced the write-off.

Prime Minister Dean Barrow

“Write-off number two motion, whereas Mr. Joshua Perdomo was approved twenty-seven months study leave to pursue a Master’s Degree in Forensics Genetics) and was bonded three years totaling thirty-nine thousand, one hundred and fifty-six dollars and forty-eight cents and was also overpaid one thousand three hundred and eighteen dollars and forty cents, total forty thousand, four hundred and seventy-four dollars and eighty-eight cents owed to the government of Belize and whereas at the expiration of the study leave Mr. Perdomo failed to resume duties and his service was terminated on September 1st, 2011 and whereas the Solicitor General has advised that Mr. Perdomo would do monthly payments of one thousand until payment was made in full but to date no payment has been made and efforts to locate him have proven futile.  Mussi like when dehn multilaterals mi di look fi some ah unu pan da side.  Now therefore be it resolved that this honorable house approve the write-off of forty thousand, four hundred and seventy-four dollars and eighty-eight cents as a loss to the Government of Belize.  This motion has the recommendation of the Cabinet.”