PSU says suspension of persons from Department a sore spot

Ray Davis

Acting Director of Immigration, Maria Marin, is the person who called for the suspension of three passport department staffers early in the administrative investigation. Sharon Neal-Flowers was the head of the passport section in Belmopan. She and two data entry clerks, Omar Phillips and Erwin Robinson were put on suspension just days after the Wonhong Kim passport scandal broke. That suspension raised eyebrows because Kim got his Belizean passport after he fraudulently obtained Belizean nationality – and as we said, nobody in the nationality department was touched. It’s still a sore spot for the P.S.U., especially since those three persons have now been put on extended suspension at half their salary.

Ray Davis, Liaison Officer, PSU

“When the situation first broke out, the three initial officers that were identified came to see us here at PSU headquarters and the president and I met with those persons. And they had the letters that were actually; what we call in the public service so-caused letters. This is a letter where the management accuses you of something and you are given a chance to respond. Based on your response, they then send that information to the Ministry of the Public Service who are the ones to determine whether there is a case. If there is a case then the Ministry of the Public Service can put you on suspension and that is when you have to leave. We told the officers point blank that they were to go back at their worksite because they had no authority to go anywhere because they are not hired by the immigration department; they are hired by the Public Service Commission. So any instruction for them to leave the office or to go on suspension has to come from that entity. I have not heard back from any of the folks and I would really want to hear from them because we would want to see the letter that was written to them so that we could advise further.”

News Five has learned that in the letter which Neal-Flowers wrote in response to accusations by Marin, she pointed out that the Prime Minister has publicly defended her and Elvin Penner has taken responsibility for what happened. So, Neal-Flowers says she does not understand why public officers are being harassed.