Minister Elrington says that despite his secretary not having any involvement in the sale or facilitation of Belizean visas, direct measures were taken to transfer her from Foreign Affairs. The ministry, he says, has a strict policy against any allegations of misconduct. Isani Cayetano “Very recently or sometime ago, there was an incident involving […]
Foreign Minister Wilfred Elrington has also weighed in on the passport scandal. His position is that despite the severe infractions that have taken place at the Immigration Department at the hands of former Minister of State Elvin Penner, those wrongdoings pale in comparison to what has been taking place in the ministry all along. Elrington […]
The investigation into the passport scandal is in its thirtieth day. There have been two major press conferences during that time. The Financial Intelligence Unit is on the case. The Police are on the case. And with all that, there is still absolutely no official clarification of what has been found. Elvin Penner is at […]
The Ambassador of Taiwan to Belize has remained under the radar as it relates to the passport scandal even though Wonhong Kim was in a Taipei prison when he obtained Belizean nationality and citizenship. Ambassador David Wu told News Five today that while he shared information about Kim with G.O.B., he is more concerned if […]
On Tuesday, Prime Minister Barrow threw Elvin Penner under the bus and asked him to resign as area representative and from the United Democratic Party. The Prime Minister’s decision came after further evidence surfaced over the past weekend that Penner was involved in the issuance of more nationality certificates and passports. Today, we canvassed ordinary […]
While ordinary Belizeans overwhelming support a criminal investigation, we asked the private sector today if they support a motion for a senate investigation. During a special sitting on October second, Opposition Senator, Lisa Shoman proposed that the senate leads an independent investigation into the improprieties at the Immigration and Nationality Department. While the Belize Chamber […]
According to Senator Lizarraga, once approved, the objective of the inquiry is to unravel what has transpired within the Immigration Department with a view to prevent this type of misconduct from reoccurring. Mark Lizarraga, Business Senator “The upper house, unfortunately today, still gives the government or the executive the majority. So at the end […]
The Fort Street Tourism Village was created to give Belizean businesses an opportunity to profit from tourism. But for some time now, there has been a change in ownership and that implies that there are new contracts and rules for the tenants who have their businesses inside the duty free zone. Well since that change, […]
On October eight, the Constitution and Foreign Affairs Committee met in Belmopan. On the table were amendments to the Criminal Code, officially proposed to strengthen the protection of children against sexual offenders. It’s the worthiest possible goal, say government and social proponents – and the churches agree. They just don’t exactly agree on some of […]
Prime Minister Dean Barrow left the country today for Los Angeles California and was hoping that he would have accepted Elvin Penner’s resignation from the U.D.P. and as area representative for Cayo Northeast. Well, Elvin has left the building…but contrary to reports that he will not be coming back to Belize to face the music […]
As we told you, Penner will be back in Belize on Sunday and he is not resigning as yet. Via phone today, he also told News Five that he will be meeting with his constituents in next week. The Prime Minister points out that the Constitution makes it clear that barring resignation or crossing the […]
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 […]
As we continue to dig into the immigration scandal, we unearthed the following detail. The signature of former Director of Immigration, Ruth Meighan, remains a fixture in all passports currently being issued. Meighan was transferred to the Ministry of Finance earlier this year, in February. Notwithstanding the interim appointment of senior public officer Maria Marin […]
After much public outrage and an overwhelming demand for a criminal investigation into the illegal issuance of nationality certificates and passports at the Immigration and Nationality Department, the Belize Police Department has been called in to investigate. The extent of that investigation is not known, but no less than the commissioner of police says they […]
At Tuesday’s press conference, the P.U.P. also disclosed that voters are reporting that inducements are being offered by the ruling party not to sign a recall petition. Likewise, there are threats of victimization should they support the recall of the area representative Elvin Penner. Opposition Leader, Francis Fonseca, pointed out that voters in the constituency […]
There is still debate on whether or not the Prime Minister had the legal authority to allow Elvin Penner, as a Minister of State, to sign nationality certificates and passports. The Opposition said on Tuesday that it is considering launching a legal challenge on this. But according to Prime Minister Dean Barrow, he had rocked […]
Bradley also pointed out that Penner could not be removed from Cabinet because he is a minister of state and could only attend cabinet sittings by invitation. Bradley turned to section forty-four of the constitution to back up his argument. Dickie Bradley, Attorney “There shall be cabinet of ministers for Belize which shall consist […]
The 2010 Census on Population and Housing was officially launched today in a glossy report, even though the findings were released since 2011. Still yet there is interesting information. In 2010 the population stood at approximately three hundred and twenty-four thousand five hundred, we say approximately because the head count was not all inclusive; by […]
There are new developments from the ongoing immigration corruption saga which makes a bye-election in Cayo Northeast a strong possibility. But here’s the biggest, first…Elvin Penner has been asked to resign as area representative of Cayo Northeast, effective immediately. That bombshell was delivered by his political boss this morning at a press briefing in Belmopan. […]
We’ll get to the recall process in a few, but first the evidence. According to the PM, it was enough for him to act immediately, and he has the unanimous agreement of his Cabinet who flanked him this morning at the press conference. So it must have been damning indeed. But we can only speculate, […]
So what of the man in the hot, dark seat? Elvin Penner earned distinction in 2008 when he became the first Mennonite to be elected to the House of Representatives. But now he is a public and political pariah – caught up in the middle of an immigration scam which may eventually result in criminal […]
With the decision, the evidence and the recall out of the way, the PM also fielded other queries and suggestions. One of those is that Penner has enjoyed the protection of the U.D.P. thus far because if he falls, he might not go alone. There are persistent and credible reports that other ministers are partaking […]
Within two hours of the Prime Minister’s disclosure that there were more irregularities in the issuance of passports and the involvement of the former minister of state, the Opposition held a scheduled press conference. There are three scenarios playing out right now: a recall in Cayo Northeast, Penner’s resignation and both would result in a […]
Former P.U.P. standard bearer Orlando Habet lost to Elvin Penner by a mere seventeen votes in the last general elections. Habet has maintained all along that the elections were stolen because of the mass nationalization and subsequent registration of Guatemalan nationals and other Central Americans by Penner to vote in the 2012 elections. In the […]
Aside from a report on the investigation in the passport scandal and the purported sale of visas, the Opposition is also looking at another investigation. Senator Lisa Shoman first presented the notion of a senate investigation into the passport scandal during a special sitting of the senate two weeks ago. She says that an independent […]
