So, we turn now to the immigration hearings held by the Senate today in Belmopan. Teresita Castellanos, the former Finance Officer for the Department, was one of 2 witnesses called back to testify today.

Her time on the stand was spent mostly on administrative matters, but close to the end of it, the Senators asked her about a very curious case highlighted in the passport Audit. It involves a 500-dollar bribe which the former officer in charge of the passport office was allegedly given to process the Belizean passport for a Asian woman.

Now, instead of making a formal complaint and handing the money over to the police to investigate this bribery attempt. The Auditor General questions the decisions they took to instead collect the money and deposit it into the Government purse as regularly collected revenues. 
So, since Castellanos was part of the courier for payment, the Senators asked her about, it. That topic caused an interesting back and forth between Castellanos and the Committee, which would have been comical, if they weren’t talking so casually about a crime. Here’s how that went:

Teresita Castellanos - Former FO, Immigration Department
"This 500 dollars was given to me by the director. I did not get anything Mr. Sambula nor Ms. Chavarria - I don't know what the report has but Ms. Ruth Meighan the then director called me and she explained to me what happened and she told me before I have the money the 500. I did not get it right away and then somehow I believe later on I reminded because she was going out for a meeting - I don't recall if it was the following day or a couple days afterwards but I went to her office and I asked the director for the money. During that while I made contact with the treasury, FO and told her the situation and the combination of cost, under what we would pay it."

Hon. Aldo Salazar - Chairman, Senate Select Committee
"Miss I don't think you understand, they are saying that this is bribe money. It's a bribe; somebody was being paid to do something."

Teresita Castellanos
"Yes but do you want me to start from there because I did not see the report. Yes from what Ms. Chavarria is saying here, yes it was a bribe at the time. At the time the passport office, they still had a passport office in Belize City that it was printing passport. That bribe took place in Belize City with Ms. Chavarria and a Chinese individual. The thing is that, that money was handed to the director and if you want to get to the bottom of it yes I went and I got the money from the director but regarding the report and the bribe - that's why I'm saying we paid 500 as I was instructed into the treasury, that money was paid into the treasury. That money that the person took - the 500 that person took to Ms. Chavarria, Ms. Chavarria did not accept the money."

Hon. Aldo Salazar
"I have no confessed that I am absolutely confused. We really need to get to the bottom of this."

Teresita Castellanos
"According to Ms. Chavarria she was given the 500 to facilitate the passport. That happened in Belize City at the passport office at the time."

Hon. Aldo Salazar
"So Ms. Chavarria got money from somebody? A bribe-"

Teresita Castellanos
"Yes to facilitate a passport."

Hon. Aldo Salazar
"For a passport, and then what happened?"

Teresita Castellanos
"Ms. Chavarria claimed she did not take the money, she left it on the desk."

Hon. Aldo Salazar
"So money was left on the desk?"

Teresita Castellanos
"Mhmm."

Hon. Aldo Salazar
"And then what happened?"

Teresita Castellanos
"That part I don't think, I think the director was in Belize City- Ms. Chavarria must have brought it up to her."

Hon. Aldo Salazar
"Who was the director at that time?"

Teresita Castellanos
"Ms. Ruth Meighan. Some investigation was done in regarding that passport."

Hon. Aldo Salazar
"Let's just focus on the question. So then the director Ruth Meighan somehow got the money which according to Ms. Chavarria was left on the desk as bribe to facilitate a passport. Then the director spoke to you?"

Teresita Castellanos
"Yes I was brought into the picture."

Hon. Aldo Salazar
"And told you this money is bribe money?"

Teresita Castellanos
"Mhmm, yes."

Hon. Aldo Salazar
"But you were going to pay it into the revenue?"

Teresita Castellanos
"Yes."

Hon. Aldo Salazar
"So your involvement, you found out there was bribe money, it was left on a desk at immigration office Belize City, the director found out, she gave you the money in order for you to pay it into government and that the police?"

Teresita Castellanos
"When it comes to that I don't know if there is any investigation into that-"

Hon. Aldo Salazar
"How did you record that revenue?"

Teresita Castellanos
"I went to the Belmopan sub treasury - I personally went and paid it in and got a government receipt."

Hon. Aldo Salazar
"Paid it in as what?"

Teresita Castellanos
"We refer to a file to a file of this investigation. It has a reference on it and even the audit was questioned but I advised by the finance officer of the sub treasury - I gave her the whole detail and they collected it and they referred it to a file reference of that same investigation."