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The Prime Minister confirmed that today - when we caught him as he was entering BWSL to meet with the union. More on that meeting later, but, first to the Prime Minister on Penner - whose hospitalization he also discussed:

Jules Vasquez
"You will lead a national party council for your party tomorrow. What message will you send then concerning the situation in Cayo North East?"

Prime Minister Dean Barrow
"We will have to discuss the fact as well the opposition has indicated that it will seek to recall Hon. Penner and so we will have to talk about how we prepare for that."

"I will say straight off that of course we are going to oppose the recall. We believe that Hon. Penner did wrong and has been punished. We certainly don't feel that he ought to be left on his own."

Jules Vasquez
"So, then you all are prepared to fall in behind Elvin Penner as a party perhaps reflexively would?"

Prime Minister Dean Barrow
"With respect certainly to his keeping his seat we will be organizing as a party to try to ensure that we defeat the recall exercise."

Jules Vasquez
"So then he will not resign and the PUP will have to go ahead with their 5pm ultimatum?"

Prime Minister Dean Barrow
"I don't think he will resign."

Jules Vasquez
"We've heard he is in the hospital."

Prime Minister Dean Barrow
"Nothing surprises me and in deed he is in the hospital. I went to visit him yesterday. I hope that he would have gotten out by now. He did appear to be very much under pressure which is not surprising."

"He told me that it's a matter of hypertension and as well blinding headaches; no doubt brought on in part by the circumstances. Although it seems that he is having difficulties with hypertension for a while. I certainly did not get the sense then and of course when he and I met on Wednesday afternoon - he expressly said to me that no, he did not feel that it is the wish of his constituents that he resigned and so he would not resign."

"In those circumstances, once he maintains that position I expect that there will be no resignation and that we will battle with the opposition over the recall mechanism."

Jules Vasquez
"Sir, falling in behind him as the party feels it reflexively must, doesn't that put you as party leader and Prime Minister in an invidious position in so far as obviously there is a significant level of fraud apparently and Mr. Penner's agency in that can't be overlooked. He has vouched in an email that he personally took the man there and went to see it through to make sure he got it on the same day."

Prime Minister Dean Barrow
"I haven't seen that email. He actually said that? But in any case, look, what I have tried to make clear in this - I will not soft soap in any way Penner's actions. I said in the House of Representatives he has let down himself, he has let down his party, he has let down his government and he has let down his country."

"This is a country of second chances. History shows that to us only too well. When you start to talk about immigration - you talk about all that happened involving Said Musa. You talk about Max Samuels as Immigration Minister having had his visa stripped by the United States of America. Nothing having been done to him by his Prime Minister and his running after that in an election and winning."

"Penner deserves that second chance if he will do what I believe he must which is to go house to house in his constituency explain, to them why what happened happen and apologize to them."

Jules Vasquez
"Not to be argumentative but the differentiation in this case is fingerprints. With the therefore mentioned individual they didn't have their fingerprints all over the documents as does Penner and his attestation which we now know is untrue - that he in fact took the man through this process personally. The man came to him, gave him the documents and he took Wonhong Kim to the passport office to see that he got his passport on the same day."

Prime Minister Dean Barrow
"Jules, I am not going to get into an argument. I thought he was saying that he took somebody that he thought was Wonhong Kim - that in fact some imposter tricked him. I thought that's what he was saying. It's a hell of a story."

Jules Vasquez
"But now we know the person he took is the same person who was in jail. The person on the passport that he says that he took...."

Prime Minister Dean Barrow
"How could he take the same person who was in jail if the person was in jail?"

Jules Vasquez
"That's because it is untrue."

Prime Minister Dean Barrow
"Right, he is saying that there was an imposter. My point is that don't expect me to say that I believe that story. Don't expect me to say that telling that story can in any way serve as an excuse. I am saying that precisely because I don't accept that version of events. I acted in the way I did and dismiss Hon. Penner."

Jules Vasquez
"So then the UDP will support Mr. Penner as a candidate for Cayo North East in the next election, you so forsee?"

Prime Minister Dean Barrow
"Now, how we get to the next election? Man, they are how far away? I am talking to you about the here and now and the fact of this recall mechanism and I am saying that in terms of the recall exercise yes. The party will rally around Elvin Penner. We believe that he deserves a second chance. We believe that we ought to help him persuade his constituents not to recall him."

"If the constituents decide otherwise, so be it."

Jules Vasquez
"Sir, allow me to just explicate, because I think we are misunderstanding each other. Interpol put out the wrong picture."

Prime Minister Dean Barrow
"Again, you did an excellent investigative piece."

Jules Vasquez
"I couldn't imagine you call it that."

Prime Minister Dean Barrow
"Well, from a technical point of view. I supposed then I must concede when you say that the narrative is as you claim it to be."

Jules Vasquez
"If there are material misrepresentations - it's involving a passport, it's not a water bill. There are material misrepresentations about his agency in concocting a passport on the same day by his attestation for an individual who was incarcerated in another country. Isn't that significant enough - I won't get into criminal."

Prime Minister Dean Barrow
"It's significant enough for him to be fired and so he has been. I am not going to get into as I said any argument with you about the narrative. You are telling me things that may well be so, but that I don't agree or disagree with. I have what was put before me in the early days. What was put before me without getting into the details was quite sufficient for me to act. I am saying it stops there in so far as the immediate road ahead involving the recall exercise is concern. Whether you agree or not, whether you like it or not, I am telling you I believe he deserves a chance to explain to his constituents."

And while the Prime Minister, again, didn't want to discuss criminal charges - the Director of Public Prosecutions, Cheryl-Lynn Vidal is looking into it. She told KREM Radio News that she spoke with the Commissioner of Police, the Director of the Financial Intelligence Unit and the Director of Immigration. She added that she is unable to act on what has surfaced so far because her office can only proceed "based on real evidence, in proper form;" she can't go based on what's been on the news.

But she adds that quote, "sufficient material has been raised to warrant an investigation and I trust that the appropriate authority will proceed to do just that and thereafter forward a file for the consideration of this Office."