Valdez Questioned Immigration About Ady Pacheco Counter Work

Ady Pacheco

A few weeks ago, Immigration officer Ady Pacheco came to the Senate Special Select Committee and extensively detailed her work therein, including acting as a counter-clerk receiving applications for nationality, passports and visas, particularly from Ministers of Government or their hangers-on. As Retired Superintendent of Police Julio Valdez observed, the Department seemed nonchalant about happenings within its walls, like how Pacheco received so many files or the discrepancies within them.

Julio Valdez, Retired Superintendent of Police

“After confirming with the acting Immigration Director I perused each and every file, surprised that all these files, all the receipts that were there or all the receipts that who received the applicants at immigration was Ms. Ady Pacheco, she was the person who apparently received all those files. She apparently was the counter clerk somewhere but there is a receipt issued saying that application received along with the other documents, copy of passports, police record, lab results and those receipt showed that was Ady Pacheco who received those files that were in our possession.”

Mark Lizarraga, Pro-tem Chair, Senate Special Select Committee

“In the course of your interview, did you determine whether Ms. Pacheco was authorized to be…”

Julio Valdez

Julio Valdez

“Yes. Apparently she was a counter-clerk at Immigration office, she was attached to the Nationality Section, and whenever applications reached there was a counter-clerk who would receive those applications with the pertinent documents and in turn they would issue a receipt to the applicant.”

Mark Lizarraga

“And you are saying that in all these files…”

Julio Valdez

“That I had it showed Ms Ady Pacheco was featured that she was the person that received these files.”

Mark Lizarraga

“Did you highlight when you found out that Ms. Pacheco featured prominently on receiving the applications, did you mention this to Miss Marin…”

Julio Valdez

“During the course of the investigation, yes.”

Mark Lizarraga

“….and Miss Candelaria Saldivar?”

Julio Valdez

“No. during the course of the investigation, I used to visit the Immigration office and speak to Miss Maria Marin; and I used to give her an update on everything that happened and we would discuss; and yes, she was concerned knowing that she was the person receiving the application, she also knew about the nationality; and she did show concern about what was happening at Immigration office and she promised that she would give her utmost assistance.”

Mark Lizarraga

“You highlighted the fact that you saw illegalities in the documents that you saw.”

Julio Valdez

“Yes, and she agreed and she was concerned and she promised to do anything possible to assist in the continuing investigation.”

Mark Lizarraga

“And just for the record, the illegalities that you saw on the documents had to do with the time of arrival and the time of issuance, that the person could not have qualified for nationality; that’s what you’re saying?”

Julio Valdez

“Yeah.”