Magistrate Norman Rodriguez went to work early this morning at around seven- thirty to avoid the glare of the cameras waiting for his unprecedented appearance in court. But his arraignment for rape did not happen until hours later before Chief Magistrate Ann Marie Smith, after which we were able to capture only seconds of his […]
Appearing at today’s public hearing of the Senate Special Select Committee at the National Assembly in Belmopan was former Minister of State for Immigration and Nationality, Elvin Penner. This is the first appearance of any Minister of Government, past or present, at the Committee since it opened its public hearings last November. But more so […]
The Committee disagreed. Chairman Senator Aldo Salazar told Penner that any questions put to him would not concern any action in court, nor that the Committee was in the process of a criminal investigation or finding because the Committee cannot recommend such except in the case of perjury. But his assurances were not enough for […]
And while that was Penner’s stance this morning, the Senate panel spent time on other matters before eventually returning to the Kim scandal in the afternoon session. What followed was a game of fencing between Penner and the Senators – the Senators probing for what they wanted, Penner doing his best to fend them off. […]
The thrust and parry continued with the panel’s Chairman, Aldo Salazar, scoring a point when he questioned Penner about the remarks of Gordon Wade, former Chief of Nationality at the department. Wade had told the inquiry and the auditors that Penner had approached him concerning the Kim file at some point after his appearance with […]
Chairman Salazar tag-teamed out to Senator Eamon Courtenay, who turned to the question of how Penner and Kim met in the first place. Here the former Minister was a little more forthcoming, but not very. He was asked where he was introduced to Kim’s “friends” and was quickly shut down by Penner, who did not […]
Penner was able to give further details of his meetings with Kim, which took place in both Chinas – the People’s Republic or Mainland China, and the Republic of China, on Taiwan. Kim is South Korean by nationality. The question is whether Penner was meeting with Kim in an official capacity as a Minister of […]
There are reports that disgraced former Immigration Minister, Elvin Penner, aspires to return to party politics. But his involvement in the Won Hong Kim scandal and the corruption at the Immigration Department, while he was there, remains etched in the minds of most Belizeans. But are his days as a politician for the U.D.P., a […]
The testimony today of ex-Minister Penner was broadcast on this station and our social media page. The feed got reaction from Belizeans at home and those in the diaspora. But Belizeans have become wary and cynical of the process. Questions are being raised whether persons named in the Auditor General’s Report—and who have since appeared […]
Back to the Senate Inquiry, which concluded just before four p.m. today…The issue of ministerial recommendations for visas in particular, especially to Asian nationals, has been a major thorn in the side of the Barrow administration. News Five has seen and obtained documents showing hundreds of such recommendations by multiple Ministers. Former Minister of State […]
Penner also contends that some visas which he recommended for approval were not approved. But why was it necessary to go through it, especially if it was not intended to positively influence the approval of the application? The former Minister of State admits he does not remember correcting anyone who asked for his assistance by […]
The panel turned to other questionable grants of nationality mentioned in the Audit Report. In the case of Yakup Sut, a Turk whom Penner met in Germany, it was clear that he had not met the requirements for Belizean nationality despite vetting by Penner himself. He still contends that he was personally satisfied that Sut […]
Another infamous case is that of Peter Pang, whose nationality certificate was backdated; his file was missing despite being requested by the Auditors, and there was no evidence that Pang had paid for his certificate. More importantly, Pang was not here long enough to qualify for nationality, having entered in April of 2013, though his […]
While Senator Eamon Courtenay was grilling Elvin Penner on the issue of the reason for his writing recommendations, he was suddenly distracted by chairman of the United Democratic Party Alberto August who was seated in the gallery. From our vantage point it appeared that August was pointing around and otherwise enjoying himself but the fun […]
Last Thursday, nineteen-year-old Michael Bonilla was cut down in a hail of bullets as he rode his bicycle along Elston Kerr Street. The incident transpired behind Gwen Lizarraga High School in an area that is known to be gang infested. Despite the location of the deadly shooting, Belize City police are on record refuting claims […]
Eighteen-year-old Ludwin Lalin, a Guatemalan national, was shot and killed in a senseless act of gun violence on Monday night. The fatal attack on the teenager happened on Curl Thompson Street in the Port Loyola neighborhood, a stone‘s throw away from his residence. A motive for his murder is yet to be determined. While Lalin […]
Deputy Prime Minister Patrick Faber was today inaugurating the extension to Grace Primary School within the Collet Division. The new facility will host upper division students and will improve significantly the environment in which they learn. News Five’s Duane Moody attended the launch and files this report. Duane Moody, Reporting Grace Primary School has […]
A recent report by IntraFish reported that the prestigious Aquaculture Stewardship Council, A.S.C., has suspended certification of four Belizean shrimp farms in April. The farms named are Paradise Shrimp Farm, Tex Mar Farm, Bel-Euro Aquaculture and Tropical Aquaculture Investment Farm. But a release by the Belize Shrimp Farm Association has clarified the Intrafish report. It […]
The Gang Suppression Unit, despite a standing agreement among various Belize City groups to hold the peace, remains on a sustained campaign to crack down on these elements. Those sting operations have raised the ire of many in their respective communities, including activist Diane Finnegan, who has been quite outspoken on the issue of police […]
There has been a spate of fires since the beginning of the year. Though there have been no fatalities, there has been concern that the fire department has not been able to respond effectively. The City Emergency Management Organization held the first of a two-day conference on fire management at the Biltmore Plaza in Belize […]
