Immigration investigation ongoing for at least two months
The intensive and wide-ranging multiple investigations into corruption at the Immigration Department have allegedly been ongoing for at least two months now. We say allegedly because there is no real evidence of any investigation into corruption. At this point we can’t even say that a so-called Financial Intelligence Unit investigation even exists, because head of the FIU Marilyn Williams refused to even confirm that it is so. Nothing has been divulged of an investigation by the Auditor-General, and as to the Police…well, News Five has confirmed that they weren’t pointed in a totally different direction altogether. What we do know is that Elvin Penner, the Minister of State who personally facilitated a passport for an accused South Korean criminal, and made false declarations in doing so, has gotten away scot free. Today head of the National Crimes Investigation Branch Assistant Commissioner Russell Blackett commented on the matter and it is not in line with what has been said before by the Minister of Immigration. The Police were called in on October ninth and according to Minister Godwin Hulse, they were tasked with investigating all aspects of the immigration scandal.
Godwin Hulse, Minister of Immigration (FILE October 9, 2013)
Godwin Hulse
“The Police was invited in at four-thirty yesterday by the Director of Immigration and the C.E.O. who are the competent officials and the right persons to invite them to look at all aspects of the situation including files that are missing and files held by Mister Saldivar’s report.”
Russell Blackett
Russell Blackett, Head, National Crimes Investigation Branch
“We work in our investigation to uncover if there is any truth. We must be mindful that people are very mischievous and when things happen, people try to cover up. So you will find that questions will go about but I can assure you we are doing our investigation from a professional point of view.”
Reporter
“Sir there have been other situations, investigations where the department has actually held press conferences to update the public. Why has there not been such a press conference on this important matter?”
Russell Blackett
“This concerns documentation and a lot of documents. We must be meticulous, we must analyze and we must be careful what we do and what we say. We know that we have people employed in these locations and we must be very careful not to be spreading and calling names and giving information until we get to the bottom of this.”
Reporter
“So what update can you provide?”
Russell Blackett
“Well so far we have done some checks. We have noted that most of the files are copies. We heard about a hundred and fifty files, but so far it was basically about five and we are continuing the work on that.”
Reporter
“Was there any indication that there was a parallel system within the passport section of the Immigration Department operating?”
Russell Blackett
“Well if that is so we have not uncovered that as yet.”
That’s not surprising since as we told you, the Police were not given carte blanche to investigate wrong-doing and criminal actions in the Immigration Department. Instead, they have been tasked only with determining how files from the Immigration Department were leaked to attorney Arthur Saldivar, and who was involved in getting them out. At no time has the Department looked at Elvin Penner and his role in the Wonhong Kim passport scandal or the mass issuance of nationality documents to questionable individuals. But action was taken against three Immigration Officers. Sharon Neal, Omar Phillips and Erwin Robinson were put on leave after the scandal broke on September nineteenth.
Thank u Channel 5. We are indeed a banana republic. Those sanctimonious UDPs who preached honesty, integrity, and the rule of law, where are they now? Berges, Lois et. al. Oh, right, they are all hustling and forgotten their so-called principles. This is the problem with party politics and us as a people. We turn on our integrity switch while in opposition and reveal our true nature once in office. I hope to see the day when these men are in jail, including those soapy-mouth ones guilty of obstruction of justice. Maybe not in this banana republic of ours but in Uncle Sam land.
Every incriminating document needs to be fixed.
There is much official paperwork undergoing repair.
It takes time. The Belizean people are patient like gibnuts.
All is good, go to sleep. The corruption officers are working hard to make the stench go away.
We must be mindful that people are very mischievous and when things happen, people try to cover up.
Ali Baba has told Belize, no passport crimes, the disgraced and rehabilitated Honorable Penner has the full UDP support that is withdrawn but is solidly backed by UDP rank and file.
And any reference to Booty Man Castro is libelous, a slander against the most high and honorably minister who was the first to master the flying squirrel screech booty call.
These guys after being elected to the highest positions of Belize government now have thousands of new international personal friends everywhere outside Belize who they know like blood brothers, sisters and mothers. Helping them become citizens is a personal duty best for the country.
It is not a scandal that citizen Kim has a passport.
It is a scandal that after citizen Kim bought his passport, he cannot use it.
Honorable Minister Penner and Eric the Change did not work fast enough to prevent his extradition to Korea. After all that he paid, he should be enjoying the cayes, sipping on rum, and toasting his new homeland.
And the award for the most ignorant nation 2013 goes to… you guessed it…
”Thank you for this deserving award, we could not have done this alone, it took the entire population but most importantly, thanks to all the mindless distractions and other severe issues; the September celebrations, binge drinking on the weekends, the brain drain of the nation, the lack of simple and basic comprehension of words and action. We never thought we’d reach this point and we did. We need to thank those above, the heads of government for allowing the diminishment of the intellectual level of a once proud and free nation for without them, none of this would have been possible.”
going back home and experiencing the changes in belizean society and comparing 10 years ago to present day, we can notice that we have failed each other, and that the system put in place to save and uplift the nation has done the exact opposite. Issues like the ones happening now should have been more than an eye opener of whats going on. WAKE UP BELIZEANS, you’re the ones who are ultimately going to suffer from the idiocracy of those above.
Ever since the PM made those negative remarks against the churches in his September speech God`s wrath has been upon Belize, he and his ministers with scandal after scandal. And there is more to come.
Looks like the ham and turkey well not be flowing like honey this year.
a government judicial worker been living in belize for two years. went to the immigration to get permanent residency the application was denied on the basis that the person is under the csme skills programme. the director has refused to give the person an explanation as to how she came to this conclusion bearing in mind there is no law which states that being under csme makes one ineligible. the matter is before the court for judicial review the director refuses to show up in court and they did not file a defense to the claim. this is clear wanton disrespect and disresgard. viewers do you think if this person was a chinese this would happen? very sad country!!
Our minister who art in power
blessed are thou for your visa hustle
Thank you for our daily bread
May you be blessed
with more visa hustle
unlike others you hustle for us
and not for yourself.
You steal not from the people
but giveth to the poor
Our cubbard is empty and becacuse of your hustle
our children go belly full to bed
Blessed art thou oh holy Castro
for thy knowledge to give us sustinance
Thy knigdom come
Christmas and rum
hustle some more
have no fear
Sergeant of arms needs a beer
fill our homes from ceiling to floor
with gifts of good tidings
turkey and ham
black cake and jam
hurry before those phuckers
come up with thier findings
pay up visa suckers
The people of Belize want to know how much of our tax payers money have been wasted on this bogus investigation? The people also want to know why Hulse knew what was going on a long time ago and said nothing? If this was happening under any other government, Hulse would have been the mouth piece. Lastly the people want to know why these ministers are still called Honorable, when we know they are not?
Congratulations the investigations are finished!
Conclusion: nothing happened, time to move on.
The Ali Baba’s is waiting, deciding when the time is best to announce these results.
Too early and people might think it is a coverup.
Too late or never is preferred.
Yes it is a very hard working investigation, it may take years to produce nothing.
visa’s are not much to talk about other than nice commissions for cabinet and friends.
It is the passports where the $$$ is at.
And since Ali Baba has decided selling passports and visa are not a crime,
time to restart the gravy train, xmas is coming up.
Corruption officers want their new SUVs by the 25th so they can spread the cheer with UDP booty calls with expensive presents.
So what type of investigation the people of Belize are getting: internal or independent? Didn’t Barrow already do his internal investigation and said he found nothing wrong? If it is another internal investigation who can now say otherwise and still keep their job? Who has the cahones to tell the truth now. Let’s have an independent review this time. They are just blowing smoke up our yang yang (like what bee keepres do) to try to quiet us down and hoping that with time it will go away. Please my people keep the heat up and let them give us answeres that at the least make sense.