As we showed you earlier, all eyes tonight are on Elvin Penner and what he plans, or does not plan to do next, some of the focus tonight must also remain on Arthur Saldivar. We've pretty much confirmed that there is no warrant for his arrest or to search his home - and more on that later - but the 150 files that he purports to have remained a subject of great interest to the media and grave concern to the department. Today the CEO in the Minister conceded that they don't have those files:
Candelaria Saldivar, CEO - Ministry of Immigration
"We are presently in the process of doing an inventory check of all our files which will indicate whether or not any of our files are missing."
Samiyyah Andrewin, reporter
"No I understand. Tthat occurred because Mr. Saldivar has indicated that he has some files. I am asking in your investigation so far prior to Mr. Saldivar coming up with these files that he said that he has - did you also look at other applications signed by Minister Penner to make sure that there were no irregularities there."
Candelaria Saldivar, CEO - Ministry of Immigration
"Minister Penner has been signing certificates since May. That would have to be a very extensive investigation which at this time we have not been able to take on."
Samiyyah Andrewin, reporter
"So, no other files signed by him were reviewed."
Hon. Godwin Hulse, Minister of Immigration
"The director and her staff secure it in the normal way that we secured. We do know or didn't know that in fact there would be people in the department who would be colluding with people outside to move and destroyed files - people are covering their tracks and now that we know that has happen - we called the police."
Candelaria Saldivar, CEO - Ministry of Immigration
"We would ask and I think Minister Hulse mentioned it on the radio earlier - is that for Mr. Saldivar to bring in those files - then we would be able to investigate, but he has the files. We cannot investigate files that we don't have in possession."
Samiyyah Andrewin, reporter
"Given that, the ones that he said that he has irregularities - you are not going to check any others?"
Candelaria Saldivar, CEO - Ministry of Immigration
"As I said Mr. Saldivar has those files and if he brings it in then we will be able to investigate, if not, we cannot investigate with files that we do not have in our possession."
Jules Vasquez
"Are you entertaining the possibility that there may have been a parallel immigration department which would issue passports without permanent records being established?"
Hon. Godwin Hulse, Minister of Immigration
"I don't know if I'll entertain that but I've heard all those statements. What I will say is what the Prime Minister has also said we know for a fact that there has been utter corruption in the department which we've been trying to deal with."
Jules Vasquez
"That a fair that you reasonably entertain - that when you think of the worst case scenario, do you think that they may have been this operation happening in background without the knowledge of the good authorities at the department?"
Hon. Godwin Hulse, Minister of Immigration
"There could be and I am hoping and this is all I have to say that everybody, every single right thinking Belizean who would know or if they know that there is anybody of any other nationality who has obtain a Belize passport fraudulently or through any system would be dignified enough, honest enough, nationalistic enough to come forward and give us that information so we could deal with it."
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