The passport scandal that started to unravel on September nineteenth is not going to go away anytime soon. Tonight, former Minister of State Elvin Penner is out of the hospital after being treated for hypertension. But after getting wind of tonight’s news, he might be checking back in shortly. And as they say, if there […]
According to Saldivar that is only one inconsistency on the documents, all signed by former Minister of State Elvin Penner. Those nationality applications were signed primarily for Middle Eastern and Asian nationals. As we mentioned, we only saw one today, but Saldivar says that all of them have been shared with foreign agencies and with […]
There is huge public outcry on the issue of a criminal investigation in the passport scandal to determine what extent of wrongdoing took place when South Korean national, Kim Wonhong was issued with a Belize passport even as he sat in a Taiwanese jail. Even though it is a crime to knowingly provide information that […]
If there would be a criminal investigation, the Police would then enter the picture, and so would the Director of Public Prosecutions. Both those entities will only act if summoned by the Director of Immigration. That hasn’t happened, but an intensive internal investigation is supposedly still ongoing. The D.P.P. however says that from what she […]
The Financial Intelligence Unit will be looking into the financial aspect of the passport scandal. That’s important, but not as important as the criminal aspect. The public outcry has been furious and unrestrained, with calls for Penner’s head going out nationwide. As you’ve seen and heard, the leader of the nation believes that Penner’s firing […]
Former Minister of State and the disgraced Elvin Penner had until five p.m. today to bid his office adieu. That’s the ultimatum sent his way by P.U.P. leader Francis Fonseca. If Penner doesn’t resign, then the P.U.P. plans to force him out by triggering the recall mechanism. To do that, the opposition party needs to […]
Tonight, there is an out of court settlement agreed to between Minister John Saldivar and Plus TV’s owner Louis Wade and co-host of the Rise and Shine Morning Show, Jason Andrews. Saldivar sought legal action against the Belmopan based television station as well as Andrews claiming they had libeled and defamed him in late December […]
The raging flames of the immigration scandal remain uncontained tonight and there is the very real possibility that its effect will be felt in the Cayo Northeast constituency in days to come. The People’s United Party has issued an ultimatum to area representative Elvin Penner to resign from the House of Representatives by Monday or […]
A number of Bills went before the Senate on Wednesday and were ratified. Aside from an amendment to the Criminal Code that is causing disquiet among the churches, there is the Trust Amendment Bill 2003 which makes provision for the mandatory registration of all domestic trusts. Shortly, it is to become law and in so […]
Of note is that the Insurance industry has been for some time one of the most regulated industries and has always had a supervisor of Insurance. Even with all that CLICO could not be saved. Now, the drafts of the Pensions Act, as well as the Pensions Regulations Act, were prepared by a legal consultant […]
The other controversial Bill is for the amendment of the Criminal Code which seeks to further protect children from predatory offenses such as rape and carnal knowledge. But other language in the Bill is causing the church to mobilize because sections of the Bill can be interpreted as favorable to the gay rights agenda. This, […]
The P.M. further stated that while the language used in the drafting of the gender policy can be revisited and discussed, such is not the case with the proposed amendment to the Criminal Code. He says the church is way off tangent. Prime Minister Dean Barrow “You know, the gender policy. I’ve said to […]
Elvin Penner is recovering from hypertension for which he was admitted at Medical Associates on Thursday. Since then, he has been visited by the P.M. who says that his condition has improved. But P.U.P. Leader Francis Fonseca has given the Cayo Northeast Area Representative until Monday to resign or be recalled. That offer is still […]
But even while the P.U.P. is gearing up for a recall, there is still the issue of a criminal investigation. A complaint was made earlier this week by WUB Morning Show Host, Mose Hyde, for a criminal investigation to be launched into the passport scandal. In the senate, a motion was also made to prompt […]
Tonight there is tragic news to report out of the Shipyard community in the Orange Walk District. A fourteen year old boy was mangled and killed after he fell into the jaws of a crusher. The piece of heavy equipment, used to grind dirt into white marl, was being operated at a quarry in Shipyard. […]
Aside from the passport scandal that has grabbed the attention of the nation, there is another matter that is like a time bomb waiting to explode before the government. Information to News Five is that government is proposing to enact the Belize Pension Act which involves a bundle of legislation through which government will be […]
Turning to the unremitting passport scandal…. Deputy Mayor Eric Chang, who has been away in Taiwan since early September, was expected to return to Belize today. A scheduled meeting was pending with Mayor Darrell Bradley to discuss Chang’s alleged involvement in the conveyance of a fraudulent Belizean passport to Kim Wonhong, but that was aborted […]
At a late evening interview between the Prime Minister Dean Barrow and the media on Wednesday, Barrow’s position that an investigation into the matter of the issuance of a falsified Belizean passport to Kim Wonhong does not warrant a criminal investigation, there are still a myriad of questions which remain unanswered. Top among those queries […]
There is public outcry for a criminal investigation into the issuance of the nationality certificate and Belizean passport obtained by South Korean national Kim Wonhong, while he was in detention. On Wednesday following a meeting with ousted Minister of State, Elvin Penner, Prime Minister Dean Barrow’s view was that there is no need for a […]
At Wednesday’s Special Sitting of the Senate, opposition representative Lisa Shoman also proposed that the Barrow administration call upon the powers of the senate to launch a separate investigation into the current passport scandal. An internal investigation in the wake of the fiasco is currently being conducted by the Ministry of Immigration, but that in-house […]
P.U.P. Leader Francis Fonseca has given disgraced former Minister of State and Cayo Northeast Area Representative Elvin Penner five days to resign. If Penner does not do so, then the P.U.P. will push to get him recalled. But tonight, there are reports that Penner has been hospitalized in Belize City suffering from hypertension presumably occasioned […]
Since he was booted from Cabinet for his involvement in the recent passport scandal in which a South Korean was issued with a Belize passport while in jail on September ninth, former Minister of State Elvin Penner, has not been seen in public, and except for an email, he has made no comment to the […]
While the Ministry of Immigration is investigating itself, there has been an open call for a criminal inquiry into the issuance of the fraudulent Belizean passport to South Korean businessman Kim Won-Hong. On Tuesday, a formal report was filed by talk show host Evan Mose Hyde requesting the involvement of the Belize Police Department in […]
Amid the ongoing debacle is the very real possibility that a recall mechanism, enshrined in the constitution, will be triggered by the opposition. The government of the day maintains control of the House of Representatives by a hairsbreadth. That seventeen-fourteen majority can be gravely affected if the constituents of Cayo Northeast collectively decide that after […]
While the Prime Minister spoke to the media at Whitfield Towers the leader of the opposition also spoke to News Five at Independence Hall. For the opposition, Penner, in fact, is suddenly in the spotlight for more than his involvement in the passport scandal. He and his seat are in the Opposition’s cross-hairs as a […]
