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Prime Minister Dean Barrow
"What Minister may have said, I didn't hear him, about the recipient of the passport not appearing at the passport office in Belmopan was always the fact. We knew from the start that the person to whom the passport was issue was at the time in jail in Taiwan. How does this advance matters? How does that - Penner signed a passport picture and Penner signed a recommendation form. There is nothing that requires the person to be in front of you when you signed the recommendation form or the passport picture."

"You are merely certifying that you know this person and you put for how long you have known this person. Penner tells me that he has met this man some years ago - that the man had in fact visited Belize. Whether that is so or not I don't know. But the fact that according to what you are telling me - that man did not himself appear at the passport office when under the requirements a person being given a passport ought to have appear in person and have his picture taken."

"The fact that that person didn't appear I am saying does not advance the matter because we always knew that. We knew the person to whom the passport was issued was in jail in Taiwan. The people in the Immigration Department who nevertheless issued the passport without the person, the recipient of the passport appearing to have his picture taken - appearing to make the application in person - those persons now has to answer. But how does that make it any worse for Penner? It is bad enough as it is and I have acted. But how does that make it any worse?"

Marisol Amaya, KREM Radio
"It appears that he signed those pictures which are of the person who was in prison at the time and he needed to have appeared in person to take pictures and it appears that the system was altered."

Prime Minister Dean Barrow
"No ma'am, look at the requirements; the persons who signs the passport picture as a recommender, there is nothing that says at the time you sign the passport picture the person must be in front of you."

"If I know Sharon and Sharon sends the picture to me and the application form, I sign the picture that I know her and I sign the form recommending her. The question of having to appear in person in front of someone arises with respect to the people who are processing the application at the passport office. That is not Penner at all, so please get it right man."

Marisol Amaya, KREM Radio
"But he signs the pictures and he is the one who provided those pictures which have been altered."

Prime Minister Dean Barrow
"Ma'am, I am not disagreeing with you that when the application is being process those in the passport office who have to do the data capture should have that applicant in front of them so that the picture can be taken so that the finger print can be attached, but that's not Penner's job and that wasn't Penner's role."

Marisol Amaya, KREM Radio
"But he influenced them."

Prime Minister Dean Barrow
"How do you know that ma'am?"

Marisol Amaya, KREM Radio
"A Minister appearing at an office telling an employee that they need to process this passport. Of course they would have done it."

Prime Minister Dean Barrow
"Ms. Marisol, where is the evidence of that? That Penner went there himself and told them to process it. Penner says no such thing happened."

Marisol Amaya, KREM Radio
"There is some evidence in the pictures that have been provided and people out there believe that the police should come in and investigate it."

Prime Minister Dean Barrow
"You are I believe a sensible journalist. I will respect the fact that you want to go in a certain direction because no doubt that helps you in your profession and makes your news dramatic. Please, we are talking now the level that what is a fact and we are talking at a level of maturity."

"In terms of processing the application Penner has nothing to do with that. I have never heard that the persons who processed the application in the passport office are claiming that Penner came there and told them 'the person isn't here who is making the application, but you will nevertheless process it.' I have never heard that. Where do you get that from?"

"If you have your sources that are saying that, let them come forward, but don't ask me to act on that basis. Don't use that as a platform on which to make your argument that Penner should be charged criminally. There is no evidence of that at all. I keep telling you Penner's role in this thing is bad enough as it is. There is no need to make it worse. His role is not acceptable and that is why he has been removed. But don't make it any worse that it is."