The Citizen Kim scandal broke three years ago in September of 2013, and since then we have learnt many despairing details about how the Immigration and Nationality Department was run like a flea market by public officers, politicians, party cronies, and passport and visa peddlers of all types and backgrounds. Well, tonight, the wider picture is just becoming apparent, and it's like a horror movie, that's so scary, you just can't look away. The long delayed Auditor General Special Audits into the issuances of passports and visas between 2011 and 2013 will be tabled in the House of Representatives on Friday and members received copies last week. It's two documents, the first on passports is well over 200 pages, and the other on visas is about 150 pages. We've been poring over the documents all day, and tonight we can share a few initial details.
First, on the visas - these were sort of gateway documents, and the report notes that 28 persons who were issued visas then went on to acquire Belizean nationality and passports in very short order. In 15 other cases, those who were issued visas quickly receiver permanent residence status.
And how did these folks get visas? Well, that's probably where the business end came in. The report notes, quote, "Ministers of Government, (a) CEO, and a mayor made recommendations and requests to the department for the approval of Belize visas."
For those 28 who were issued visas and then promptly issued passports, the report produces a table of names nationalities and the name of their sponsors. In the case of Chinese national Jimin Guan, he had no sponsor and Minister Erwin Contreras wrote a letter for him to the Director on January 29th, 2013.
Contreras did the same for Weidong Li on that same date in January, and Mupong Chen - again on the 29th January.
The report goes on to detail who all made requests for visas to be facilitated at the Belmopan office. The list starts with Chief Exectuive Office r and sister of Minister John Saldivar Candelara Saldivar, divisional caretakers Michael Hutchinson and as an yet unelected Frank Pawpa Mena, the former Mayor of San Ignacio John August and a UDP insider who, the report states, quote, "requested that some visa applicants receives Belize visas."
The report goes unto say that Minister of Government made 7 requests to Port Commander at the Northern Border and the PGIA to facilitate persons with visas.
And, at the Western border station on Boxing day, December 26th, 2012, 8 visa foils went missing. Turns out these were removed by an Immigration officer and given to one Mr. Middleton for sale. Middleton - the report states is the common law husband of an Immigration officer. And this is where it gets interesting. The report sates, quote, "Middleton took the visas to Belize City Deputy Mayor Eric Chang and another person who purchased the visas.
Coming up later in the news - we'll have more on Chang and his desperate attempts to visit Citizen Kim in a Taiwan jail.
|
