Passport sales shut down

After enjoying a highly profitable but controversial existence, tonight the sale of Belizean passports is no longer legal. As of January fifteenth, amendments to the constitution repealed the provisions relating to the economic citizenship program. According to government officials, it will take some time for the BECIP Unit to finalise the programme. Applications already in the pipeline will be valid, but no new applications will be accepted. Apparently, it will also take some time for websites advertising Belizean citizenship to be removed from the web, as a surf by News 5 today found several sites promoting the programme. Head of the BECIP Unit Joey Belisle was unavailable for comment. The programme has received numerous criticisms after several suspicious characters, such as a suspected terrorist, were allowed to become citizens via the internet. The latest scandal emerged when a Mexican drug lord purchased a Belizean passport within a matter of days. His citizenship was later revoked when he was brought up on charges of drug trafficking in the biggest cocaine bust in the country’s history.