Suspension of two employees sought in passport theft

Arrests have yet to be made following the disappearance of one hundred Belizean passports earlier this month but today the Immigration Department has recommended the suspension of the two officers being investigated by police in connection with the theft. According to a release issued by the Government Press Office, the formal request to suspend Finance Officer Audrey Bennett and First Class Clerk Jacqueline Wagner from their duties pending the outcome of the official investigation has been sent to the Director of the Public Services Commission. The release goes on to state that the department will also be making additional recommendations for “disciplinary measures”. We understand that since the incident, both women have been placed on leave. If the Public Services Commission accepts the department’s recommendation, it would mean that they would receive half salary until the conclusion of the investigation. To date, authorities have only been able to say that the one hundred blank passports are missing and that there is no sign of burglary or forced entry. The documents were reported missing by Bennett after she returned from holiday last week. She and Wagner were subsequently detained by police for questioning but never charged. This is the second time in less than fourteen months that passports have been stolen from the Immigration Department Offices in Belmopan. Last August, two hundred went missing. Two of those stolen documents later popped up in Hong Kong but no one has ever been charged with a crime.