So, while he was pointing fingers at his direct superiors for that one, there came a moment, almost at the end of the hearing in which the Senators turned up the heat on him just a bit more.

It’s in reference to a portion of the audit report in which the Auditor quoted Wade himself as saying some very serious things. In the report the Auditors quote him as saying quote, â€œA Minister can approve Belizean nationality with one letter and all other requirements are waived, including fees, security clearance, civic test; everything can be waived. The law has the requirements but that does not matter because the law also states that a Minister has the final say. Applicants do not even have to be in the country for the five (5) years. As long as a Justice of the Peace or Minster writes a letter stating that they knew the applicant for over 5 years, and that they are of good behaviour, they are approved.

That process takes the place of all requirements. This happens especially around election time when ministers and area representatives submit lists of applicants who should get nationality. Those persons do not even have to show their Passports to prove that they came into the country with visas.â€￾

As you have realized, it’s very serious stuff, and so the Senators wanted to confirm if he said it or not. Well, after he was questioned on it, we weren’t sure if he did or he didn’t. So, here’s that portion of the report, for you to decide:

Gordon Wade - Former OIC, Nationality Section
"The quotation, a minister can approve Belize nationality with one letter and all other requirements are waved including fees, security clearance, civic test, everything can be waved. The law has the requirements but that does not mean because the law also states that a minister has the final say. Applicants do not even have to be in the country for the 5 years as long as a justice of the peace or minister writes a letter stating that they knew the applicant for over 5 years and they are of good behaviour, they are approved."

Hon. Eamon Courtenay, PUP Senator
"Next page."

Gordon Wade
"That process takes the place of all requirements, this happens especially around election time when ministers and area representatives submit list of applicants who should get nationality. Those persons do not even have to show their passport to prove that they came into the country with visas."

Hon. Eamon Courtenay
"What about this you want to correct?"

Gordon Wade
"All of it."

Hon. Eamon Courtenay
"All right, you didn't say this?"

Gordon Wade
"I don't recall saying that."

Hon. Eamon Courtenay
"You don't recall saying this at all?"

Gordon Wade
"Nothing like that."

Hon. Aldo Salazar, Chairman - Senate Select Committee
"So you're saying for the Auditor General to have put this in the report is inaccurate?"

Gordon Wade
"I don't recall making that statement any at all."

Hon. Aldo Salazar
"So you never said this to Ms. Faber or any of the audit team?"

Gordon Wade
"No."

Hon. Elena Smith
"You are saying that you do not recall using this at all. Is that you do not recall or is it that you would have said it is here or you would have not said portions of what is here?"

Gordon Wade
"Probably this was something we talked but I don't recall doing any interview when this was stated to the audit team."

Hon. Elena Smith, Labour Senator
"Okay so it might not have been said in an interview but probably in a discussion that you all were having was probably said then, is that what you're telling us?"

Gordon Wade
"Probably something in that general but not anything that is like here I don't recall mentioning or saying anything like this to any member of the audit team."

Hon. Ashley Rocke - Church Senator
"So this is false?"

Gordon Wade
"Yes sir."

Hon. Elena Smith
"Mr. Wade I am still not clear, you are saying you cannot recall saying this in an interview but you may have said it in a discussion-"

Gordon Wade
"No because just look at the statement; myself I do not know what it means by a minister can approve nationality with one letter, what does that mean? If I would have said something like that, what does that mean? Approve nationality with one letter."

Hon. Aldo Salazar
"I think it's very easy to address this. Did you say this or not?"

Gordon Wade
“No.â€￾

Hon. Elena Smith
“I don’t think it’s as easy as that Mr. Chair.â€￾

Hon. Eamon Courtenay
“No, no and that’s why we are putting these specific things and there’s more in here that when you come back we will put to you because as you know or maybe you don’t know the Auditor General and her team will come back and so they are saying that on the 13th of March 2014 you told them this. So the only for us to resolve it is to put it you, you deny it, for them to come and I am assuming they are going to bring their notes with them because this is an exact quotation if you noticed. So this is a matter that has to be resolved because you can’t understand the significance of what is here.â€￾

Hon. Aldo Salazar
“So where does this leave us? Did you say this or not?â€￾

Hon. Eamon Courtenay
“Yeah right so I’m giving you-â€￾

Gordon Wade
“I’ve been asked that several time and I said no.â€￾

Hon. Elena Smith
“You have caused me to ask the question because you are saying to us that you may not have said it in an interview but you may have said some if it during discussions.â€￾

Gordon Wade
“I said we could have talked about this in discussion and we didn’t have any interview with anything with respect to anything that is quoted here that I directly said, that’s what I said.â€￾

Hon. Elena Smith
"So you are telling me that not in an interview but in discussions you may have said some of these things?"

Gordon Wade
"We probably had discussed things like this but if me and you have something to discuss you would put it in a quote, a report?"

Hon. Elena Smith
"The point is that you may have said it at another time but not during the interview."

Gordon Wade
"I didn't say that."

Hon. Elena Smith
"So what did you just tell me?"

Gordon Wade
“I told you I didn’t say this, I told you probably in talking to probably the audit team unofficially this kind of topic came up but there as at no time I made a statement like this to them.â€￾

Hon. Elena Smith
“So talking and discussions are the same right? The words come out, so whether it was said in a discussion, the point is some of this may have been said but-â€￾

Gordon Wade
“Then the report could have said in a discussion with Mr. Wade this was discussed, this said in an interview I said and I am saying that I did not, so I don’t know what is hard to understand.â€￾

Hon. Elena Smith
“So your dispute is-â€￾

Gordon Wade
“I am disputing; I didn’t say this in any interview with them.â€￾

Hon. Elena Smith
“Mr. Wade your dispute is interview vs discussion. It is inaccurate because here it says in an interview and you never said it in an interview. You are saying you may have said some of these words in a discussion or in discussions with them so; putting it as interview here is inaccurate you are saying but not that the discussion didn’t occur? That is what I’m gathering from what you are telling me.â€￾

Gordon Wade
“A lot of discussions occurred.â€￾

Like Ruth Meighan, the Senators have instructed him to go through the report with a fine tooth comb and prepare himself for pointed instances to which he disagrees with what the Auditors said about him in their report. He is expected to come back later in February.