Today, three weeks after spinal surgery and 27 days after his last media interview – the Prime Minister held a press conference in Belize City. And, it was loaded: the event lasted just a shade under two hours, where the Prime Minister addressed a whole gamut of issues, from the latest immigration scandal, to his new beard.
We'll have all of that for you tonight, but we start with more Edmund Castro controversy. Six weeks ago, an immigration agent turned whistle-blower said that as a Minister of state, Castro had facilitated 200 visas for her in just a few months – and that he did it for two thousand dollars each. Castro flatly denied signing so many, but conceded that he had signed a few, but, quote, "nowhere in the neighborhood of 20, 30 or 40 nor 200" end quote. Castro also vehemently denies taking any money for writing recommendation letters.
But last night Channel 5 showed documents demonstrating that he had signed at least 21 visa recommendations in just 16 days in May, 2013. Today the Prime Minister again had to defend Castro, and this time he said that a recommendation is only that:
Mike Rudon - Channel 5 News
"Over a sustained period, week after week, after week, he has been recommending visas for Chinese nationals. I know that you don't watch the news, so you might not have seen that, but what would be your comment on that."
Hon. Dean Barrow - Prime Minister of Belize
"I don't want the news, but I know what you are saying, don't worry. The lady had said Castro is responsible for 200 visas. Now, I hear you produced letters of recommendation for how many, 20, 21, or 22? Man, in the normal course, as I said, ministers are asked to do recommendations for all sorts of things, including American visas, jobs, and so on. 22 or 25, or whatever is a far cry from 200. The director made clear that at no stage did certainly, let's confine it to Minister Castro. Did Minister Castro lean on her, call her in any way intervene with her, to try to procured a visa for a single solitary sole? The fact that he wrote letters of recommendation, on the face of it, is absolutely in order. You quoted what I said, well, 20+ visas don't put him in that Ali Baba category at all."
Mike Rudon
"You said 10 or 20 in your quote."
Hon. Dean Barrow
"Don't try that. Man, what you have produced is, in my view, not even remotely close to a smoking gun. On the face of it, Ministers are entitled, and perhaps obliged to write letters of recommendation. If you had found that 200, or a 100, or 75, and in combination with that, there was any indication from the Immigration Department, from the Director, who is the one who authorizes the visa, that Castro had intervened, then you might have had an argument. But as things now stand, sir, I am afraid that I cannot countenance the crusade and the campaign that your organization is on, no sir."
Mike Rudon
"Sir, so, can I ask then if you are sort of backtracking from your position which was stated that if even 10 or 20 interventions that would be an indication that there is hustling?"
Hon. Dean Barrow
"Man, in certain circumstances where there is a clear pattern, I would have to be concerned. Where - the Director of Immigration is the one who determines whether or not somebody gets a visa - where the Director of Immigration is somebody in whom we have - this Director - complete faith, where there are criteria that she applies in making her determination, where there is no suggestion that any minister, and in this case, Castro, man, if he signed quite frankly 200 visa recommendations, if he signed one thousand, I can do nothing. I can say to him boy, I have my own view and you must realize that out there, people won't think that you're signing one hundred visas or seventy-five visa applications just like that. But really and truly, practically speaking, Castro can't produce any visas. How will anyone pay you for letters of recommendation when you cannot guarantee that they will get visas? Explain to me how even if he signed 100 recommendation letter, how I would be able to say to Castro or anybody who did that, that is evidence of an offence or dishonesty. I might think what I want to think, but how would I proceed? Could Castro be charged with any for signing letters of recommendation, which ministers and area representatives do in the normal course on a daily basis?"
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