2 senior staff members of Nationality Section called in Immigration Report
On Monday, News Five brought you an exclusive look at the report on Won Hong Kim. It contains reports of interviews done with staff members at the nationality section who played roles in the issuance of a nationality certificate for the South Korean, who was in Taiwanese prison when his nationality certificate and Belizean passport were issued.
That report was completed on October fourth, 2013. Former Minister of State, Elvin Penner delivered the incomplete nationality application and saw it through processing. The report makes specific mention of two senior staff members who were questioned – counter supervisor, Ady Pacheco, and Officer in Charge of the Nationality Section, Gordon Wade. Immigration Director Maria Marin recommended in her conclusion that Wade be asked, “to give an explanation for the shortcomings listed above and specifically to respond to the circumstances surrounding the Won Hong Kim case.”
Marin further recommends that Counter Supervisor Ady Pacheco be asked to, “especially explain how the Won Hong Kim file was submitted to the Minister for signature without her having vetted the file…that she give an explanation in writing as to the circumstances leading to the twenty plus entries in the PR register using duplicate numbers and without supporting documentation in any file…and to give an explanation in writing as to the various files accepted on the tenth and eighteenth of July 2013 which went missing and for which certificates were prepared similar to the Won Hong Kim case…”
While that report and those recommendations were made by Marin on October fourth, 2013, the report was not forwarded to C.E.O. Candelaria Saldivar until December twentieth, 2013 – more than two months later. On January tenth, 2014, Saldivar responded to Marin asking her to seek a response from the officers named, Wade and Pacheco.
Today, News Five has been reliably informed that the officers in question have not seen that report officially and have not been asked to respond to the findings. We are also reliably informed that as recently as today all officers are being asked to sign an oath of secrecy, and are being warned that their phone records can be examined – this is in response to the leaking of the Won Hong Kim report.
This is crazy. And what will the people of Belize do about these theiving, lying, curropt officials? I’ve said it once and I’ll say it again…NOTHING! At least not other than sit around and call on the radio stations but no real action…walking the walk.
We will never see any serious change until a Minister is criminally charged and sent to jail. They are untouchable and whether it is PUP or UDP in power, it will always be the same until a serious effort is made to change the system and hold each and every minister accountable. They are all from the same circle. Corruption breeds corruption.
I must applaud Channel 5 for not letting go of reporting the corruption that is going on in the government. We need a new political party with a clean slate run by Belizeans of moral character.
@ islandboy70, well said. Is there one honest man left in the country who can sit at the top and look down and rule wisely and without corruption. Barrow is silent on all this miscarriage of authority.
Barrow will go down in history as the worse leader of this country.
Channel 5 is doing a good job of reporting, but until the people stand up and say no more, this thing will continue.
The big boys and girls want to keep everything secret so the Belizean people can be kept in the dark. We won’t stand for it. We must keep this these stories alive.
What, I understand, is that Belize-ans, love the way there PM is handling the situation.
When McAfee, said how corrupted they are, it just proves his point.
The People can make a change if they so want, but it will not happen.
But good change is not happening under Fonsaca, we need educated People, People, time to stand and take back.
@Islandboy70 and Al Rich you both sound like level headed individuals. Perhaps we are looking at two candidates for a new political party right here. I mean what should hinder you from giving it a try? We do need a party other than RED or BLUE. I’m only 28 years old but I must say that as to my knowledge, the Belizean people have always only run from one party to the next and they both have put the country in a mess.