A closer look shows irregularities in a bundle of nationality documents
On Tuesday, attorney Arthur Saldivar handed over a bagful of immigration documents to Police – including files and binders. Those documents were allegedly in Saldivar’s possession for over a week. He claimed that he salvaged them after a cover-up operation was launched in the Immigration Department to destroy them. Those documents, in fact, are what forced the Immigration Department to finally call in the Police almost twenty days after the illegal issuance of passports and nationality certificates was disclosed. But it’s safe to assume that what was handed in will not see the light of public scrutiny anytime soon. Today, News Five took a deeper look at two of the documents, nationality certificates issued to Zhongxiong Yang and Shuzi Hu. Both certificates are signed by Elvin Penner and dated April fifth, 2013. Yang’s certificate number is two-eight-two-nine-seven, while Hu’s is two-eight-three-zero-five. There’s one immediate, glaring discrepancy – neither of the nationality certificates has a picture of the new Belizean – which is required. Also, both persons – Shuzi Hu and Zhongxiong Yang, are listed at the same address – thirty-five Riverside Street, Benque Viejo Del Carmen. We checked that address and here is what we found; it is an empty lot. What’s even more interesting is that the nationality certificates are normally issued in sequence – Yang’s certificate number is two eight two nine seven, dated April fifth, 2013. Our friend Wonhong Kim’s certificate number was two-eight-five-seven-seven, issued on April twenty-second, 2013. If you do the math and subtract the numbers, that means that between April fifth and April twenty-second, two hundred and eighty nationality certificates could have been issued – in just twelve working days. But as we said, that is if the documents were issued in sequential order, which is what should have been the case. Minister of Immigration Godwin Hulse refused to reveal the nature of the evidence against Elvin Penner which he uncovered over the weekend so the extent of the number of passports and certificates issued cannot be confirmed.
two hundred and eighty nationality certificates could have been issued– in just twelve working days.
We know from Wonhung Kim case that he paid $125,000.00 US$ for his passport. If they say government get $2,000 per passport, multiply by 280 = $56,000.00. However the balance could be over $2,000,000.00 to be shared among all those persons involved. Some of these sane people need Visa, and other things done so we are talking kraize money here. No wonder these guys can afford to buy Hummer and mansions, etc. etc. When some of these ministers go to casino they can afford to loose $5,000.00 in a few hours and don’t care, because they HAVE IT! In bars it’s drinks for everyone, because they have to prove to buddies, I BOUGHT YOU, SO you have to vote for me. In fact, like the PM said, he can RAMP UP THE SPENDING in Cayo North East like you have never seen before, because he gat the millions and millions of $. Everything and everyone can be bought. He said the $5,000.000.00 being released for BTL shares, is peanuts, trump change money. Believe him when he say that!
In Belize everything is for sale, passport, visa, nationality, work permit, police record, birth paper, new identity, medical certificate, the people of Cayo NE, and the applicant don’t need to enter the country. I think up to this point, the UDP ministers were unlucky when it came to buying the media!
If you go on the internet and search for Belize passport for sale, including new identity papers in Belize, YES…there are websites where these things are done. The Hezbollah guy who had a Mennonite name is proof that this trade and those websites are not fakes.
Hey Hulse, don’t the public have a right to know what new evidence was found, which caused this “great” change of action?
Congratulations Hulse, you have become a new man, one who is pitiful.
Either you have since become corrupted since being in office by the devils or b4 taking office you were a bitter man fighting government corruption bc you couldn’t get a piece of the action.
Boy, the power of power and money.
All respect is lost
Weh mek anybody think hulse da mi anything good ever inna fi hi life? Unnu eva hear a di phrase empty barrels make di most noise? Amazing how we tek on all dem loud mouths and look weh them turn out to be. Unnu think di teachers happy? They got wah loud mouth minista too. And di list goes on……
The simple fact is that if the PM knew about the visa scam being carried out by his ministers, Penner knew about it also. The man decided he could get his share of the free money and he did. If Penner decides to loose his lips I wonder how many ships he could sink.
Has it occur to anyone that Penner could be out of the country taking care of his bank account in Guatemala, Mexico where ever it is he is suppose to be. If you have blood pressure a local doctor can increase the dosage of the blood pressure medication, prescribe some water pills and he is on his way to reduce his pressure.
Amazing how he and the PM can run out of the country at anytime to see doctors, while the majority of the poor people are left in the hands of some incompetent doctors at the K for kill hospital.
This is Hulse’s Ministry not Penner’s. So what is loud mouth talking so much about? Come Mr. Hulse do the right thing and “step OUT”. You are responsible. You knew these things were happening. You must know that the PM “allowed” Penner to sign. If you REALLY did not know and now you know then blow the whistle a second time – ON THE PM.
Hulse should be fired, or resign, however Barrow wants it.
He is incompetent, he should have destroyed this documents.
How could this happen under his watch?
How many other criminal documents were not destroyed?
Plus UDP has the twice a year criminal document destruction, how could this have happened?
somebody in the criminal government of Belize is getting very lazy in their criminal ways.