Former Assistant Quarantine Officer Avoids Jail Time, but Loses Job

Saul Perez

Saul Perez, a former Assistant Quarantine Officer with OIRSA-Belize, is out of a job after he lied to his boss and the police when he claimed he was robbed of money belonging to the company.  Perez later admitted to stealing a total of two thousand two hundred and fifty-nine dollars belonging to OIRSA.  In court this morning, the charge of theft was read to the Succotz resident when he appeared before Magistrate Stephanie Gillett. After pleading guilty, Perez was fined two thousand five hundred dollars, which he was ordered to pay by October fifteenth, 2019 or in default, two years imprisonment.  Police say that in an investigation, it was clear that what Perez claimed did not add up.  He then admitted that he made up the robbery story to pay bills for his mother.  Police recovered seven hundred dollars of the stolen money and while Perez is free from jail time, he is indebted to the court and out of a job.  He had claimed that he was robbed while walking on Yabra Road in Belize City by three armed men, but holes in his story led to the charge of theft.