So, as you heard Wade say, the then Minister of State Elvin Penner was the one who pushed for the Won Hong Kim file to move along even though it ought not to have gone anywhere in the Department.

Wade’s version is that Penner requested the file from him, and then took it over to his head to his immediate superior, the then Director, who would have been Ruth Meighan at that time. And according to Wade, Penner wasn’t the only one who kept pressing for files to move up the chain, even though the files were incomplete, and the applicants didn’t qualify.

He said that there were other Ministers trying to move documents along, and that it was a normal occurrence for Ministers to get involved in this way. Here’s some of the pointed questions that they asked him:

Hon. Eamon Courtenay, PUP Senator
"The report refer to instances where files are processed for nationality and all that is legally required is not in the file, are you aware of that?"

Gordon Wade - Former OIC, Nationality Section
"Like I said files reaching my desk."

Hon. Eamon Courtenay
"I just want to know if you are aware of it?"

Gordon Wade
"Of files moving on without the required documents?"

Hon. Eamon Courtenay
"Yes."

Gordon Wade
"Yes."

Hon. Eamon Courtenay
"Which lead to nationality certificates being issued without all the required requirements?"

Gordon Wade
"As highlighted when it moves for my desk."

Hon. Eamon Courtenay
"The question is why would it move from your desk going forward with a notification that it is incomplete?"

Gordon Wade
"Those were at times, files were requested."

Hon. Eamon Courtenay
"And I'm suggesting to you and I want to know whether these files were on occasion requested by ministers."

Gordon Wade
"Most of the time."

Hon. Eamon Courtenay
"And when they were requested by ministers and they were incomplete it is your evidence that you would note on it A, B or C is missing but requested and I passed it on?"

Gordon Wade
"That's right."

Hon. Elena Smith, Labour Senator
"What was read to you it said that you indicated that this was usual practice of various ministers, correct?"

Gordon Wade
“Yes ma’am.â€￾

Hon. Elena Smith, Labour Senator
“Could you indicate who you were referring to when you said various ministers?â€￾

Gordon Wade
“What do you mean by calling names?â€￾

Hon. Elena Smith, Labour Senator
“Mhmm, yes sir.â€￾

Gordon Wade
“During that period it was the usual for ministers to come in and bring in applications services at our department for their constituency.â€￾

Hon. Elena Smith, Labour Senator
“I don’t know who those ministers are, so you indicated the usual minster, so who were those ministers?â€￾

Gordon Wade
“Like I mentioned there were several ministers, there was minister from Belmopan Minister Saldivar, Minister Contreras, Minister Marin, Minister Heredia, Minister Castro.â€￾

Hon. Aldo Salazar, Chairman - Senate Select Committee
“When you say usual practice, can you elaborate on that? Because questioned is asked usual practice; what are you talking about.â€￾

Gordon Wade
“I think it was the senator that made the reference to where I said that this was the usual practice for ministers to bringing applications.â€￾

Hon. Aldo Salazar, Chairman
“I want you to elaborate on what practice you were referring to when you said it was the usual practice, what is it?â€￾

Gordon Wade
“For them to bring in applications, they would be informed you know what this is what is missing and they would always promise to bring the missing documents for which they did most of the time. That is what I am referring to.â€￾

Hon. Elena Smith
“You were not paying much attention as to date as it was not out of the norm for any minister to bring in incomplete applications and these would go through on the strength of their promise to bring in the missing documents. So I want to look at the strength of their promise, so is that saying Mr. Wade that previously ministers had made promise to bring in documents and they did and so because - or in this case Minister Penner had promised previously that he would bring in documents that were not brought in at the time of the application being given.â€￾

Gordon Wade
“Yes ma’am that is exactly what I meant.â€￾

Hon. Elena Smith
“So he has always brought in and so because of that you believe he would have bring in for this one?â€￾

Gordon Wade
“That’s right.â€￾

Hon. Elena Smith
“But he didn’t.â€￾

Gordon Wade
“He didn’t.â€￾

Hon. Elena Smith
“Have you heard the statement that says a promise is a comfort to a fool?â€￾

Gordon Wade
“Yes.â€￾

Hon. Elena Smith
“So even though we know that we relied on the minister’s promise you rarely felt or you believed that he would under his promise and bring in those documents?â€￾

Gordon Wade
“Or liked I mentioned in the report it has been done before and they had always brought in the necessary or the remaining documents. At the time when this case it was not anything particular to me until after the case finish, it was impossible to me to say oh this one you are not going to bring in the rest when like I mentioned before it something they did before and always bringing in the rest of the documents.â€￾

Hon. Aldo Salazar
“Why would you still send it up?â€￾

Gordon Wade
“Only if it was requested; If the file reached my office and it is not completed then I would minute it and forward it back to the registry stating that this file is incomplete, it needs A, B, C in order to continue. If the directors request the file then I would vet it with a note, highlighting what’s missing.â€￾

Hon. Aldo Salazar
“Who else could request that file being sent up?â€￾

Gordon Wade
“Send up to what level?â€￾

Hon. Aldo Salazar
"You said only if they were requested, requested by whom?"

Gordon Wade
"By different ministers."

Hon. Aldo Salazar
"To send up to the Director of Immigration?"

Gordon Wade
"To the director."

Hon. Aldo Salazar
"And the Director of Immigration would then make a recommendation or not?"

Gordon Wade
"Right."