Today Immigration Minister Godwin Hulse confirmed that Immigration Director Maria Marin has recommended the termination of three Immigration Officers who produced the Citizen Kim passport. Hulse explained that hers is only a recommendation and the public services commission will now have to decide if it will grant a hearing for termination - at which point the officers would be allowed to defend their actions and have union representation. So they are a long way from termination, but Hulse told us that the Director had no choice because two of the officers in questions are data entry clerks, and they had the responsibility to make sure the person applying for the passport was there sitting in front of them in September of 2013 when the Citizen Kim passport was issued. Of course, he could not have been there because he was in a Taiwanese jail. Instead they used an old picture from his South Korean passport, and superimposed it into the Belize passport.
Now, much has been made of the fact that they have been recommended for termination, while Penner is still a member of the House with all the pay and perks. But, Hulse says that Penner was fired from Cabinet - which was the most that can be done.
And while that is hardly consolation for the Penner critics, we do know that in an email to 7News at the height of the Citizen Kim Scandal, Penner admitted that he's the one who passed the passport through in a single day. He wrote, quote, " I personally went with him to the passport office to see to it that he would get proper attention and would get his passport the same day."
In defence of the officers who produced the passport, Penner volunteered:
"I am certain that the officers did nothing but there job to the best of their ability and made sure that this gentle man was properly taken through the application procedures and given his passport before the end of the day." As we've pointed out, there was no "gentleman" because the new Belizean citizen Won Hong Kim was in a Taiwanese jail while Minister of State Penner was acting as his agent in Belize.
And so, the disparity between Penner and the Immigration officers still grates many, and today the President of the BNTU asked the other unions to join up to ensure to increase the public pressure.
Luke Palacio, national president - BNTU
"Imagine the passport scandal and now we are being told that the director of immigration is recommending to the public service commission that those 3 public officers be dismissed. We are saying to the public service union let us join ranks and ensure that those public officers are not dismissed."
"How can we continue to have our children believe that it is okay to be corrupt?"
Geovanni Brackett, president - COLA
"COLA will do as much as we can do, even as much as direct action. But I was surprise to read in the newspaper today when the Amandala interviewed the president of the NTUCB - that he has said that 'no comment into what COLA said,' he went to on to say that the 3 officers would have to get representation from an attorney and their fate will be decided by the public service commission. To me that is ridiculous, I don't know what is the evidence they have against these 3 public officers, but what I know is that in the court of public opinion Elvin Penner is guilty as charge and that we should not allow Penner to walk and then we sacrifice these 3 officers for one 
because he gets to sit in the House of Representatives, he gets to be called honorable, gets to be paid off by the people; these same teachers right here. His pay isn't being cut. He is getting the fat salary nevertheless and then we will sacrifice 3 public officers. This is ridiculous and we find that very appalling at COLA and we call on all the unions to take a stand and demands some action and criminal investigation into this immigration scandal."
Executive members of the BNTU say that the unions will meet this weekend for the first time for 2014, and they are sure that the issue of the 3 public officers will be on the agenda.
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