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But, even back then, it caught our attention, especially with presence of politicians and political operators, who were working hard to get applicants approved. We kept pressing Ruth Meighan about that back then, and concerns that it was not all above board. We've dug into our archive to show you her answers to those questions then, and what has been revealed in the last 4 weeks. Here's how it looked back then:

File: January 13, 2012
Jules Vasquez
"Is all this being expedited because registration for the next election closes on the 20th of January?"

Ruth Meighan
"I don't know Jules; I would be able to say that we are just doing what immigration does. I think people should understand by now, especially the political persons, is that we offer a service and as a result of that, the service requires that you do certain things."

Jules Vasquez
"Would you agree though that there is a coincidence certainly in the fact that registration has, by statutory instrument, been extended up to January 20th, and two naturalization ceremonies are being held within that time?"

Ruth Meighan
"Jules I don't think it's for me to comment on that. I don't know what the reason is why, if it is coincidental or not. I am only saying that if we have the applications to process we have a directive to process them so that we could swear these persons in - that is what we are doing."

File: January 25, 2017
Hon. Eamon Courtenay "You were director in 2012

Ruth Meighan
"Yes."

Hon. Eamon Courtenay
"You were aware that there was a general election in 2012?"

Ruth Meighan
"Yes."

Hon. Eamon Courtenay
"Are you aware that there was a unusual amount of persons who got nationality shotly before that general elections?"

Ruth Meighan
"Yes."

Hon. Eamon Courtenay
"Are you aware that ministers were heavily involved in speeding up the processing of nationality for many individuals in the run up to that election?"

Ruth Meighan
"I am aware that the ministers were trying to get people processed for nationality during that period."

Hon. Eamon Courtenay
"On an expedited basis."

Ruth Meighan
"Well, the Department did process a lot of applications that would have maybe taken a little bit longer, during that period."

Hon. Eamon Courtenay
"So, the answer is yes, on an expedited basis."

Ruth Meighan
"Yes."

Hon. Eamon Courtenay
"And you're aware that the purpose for that was in order for these people to be registered to vote."

Ruth Meighan
"I believe that was the reason why."

Hon. Eamon Courtenay
"And you were the director at the time."

Ruth Meighan
"I was director at the time."

Hon. Eamon Courtenay
"Are you aware that quite a number of those persons who got nationality, their files were incomplete?"

Ruth Meighan
"That's what I noted from the report, yes."

File: (January 18, 2012)
Jules Vasquez
"Will you all - I know a naturalization process is planned for this afternoon. Is there another one planned before Friday?"

Ruth Meighan
"We still have a lot of applications outstanding, Jules, and depending on the political - or my minister, I shouldn't say political - my minister, then we decide whether we're going to have another one."

Marion Ali - Love News
"There was a meeting here last night. Your staff - I assume that it was your staff - were working late. What was happening here?"

Ruth Meighan
"Processing of applications for nationality."

Jules Vasquez
"However, I guess the real question is, is everything that's happening above board?"

Ruth Meighan
"It is. As I said the last time that I spoke to you, what we do is we process applications based on an individual basis. People are asked to bring certain requirements along with them. Those things are ensured within the file before we do the processing. In some cases, we don't even accept the application once they do not meet the requirements."

File: January 25, 2017
Hon. Eamon Courtenay
"Those persons, whose files were not complete, did not qualify at that time to get Belizean nationality."

Ruth Meighan
"Those persons did not qualify, but the file that was presented, and I could clearly remember my minister and telling me - because we were concerned that the process that the files, they were requesting a lot of files. And we said that we have to ensure that all the applicants meet the requirement for nationality. And that was clearly stated throughout the department, and so, any files that came to us for approval, they were presented as qualified applicant."

Hon. Eamon Courtenay
"You now know, Miss Meighan, that many of them were fraudulently prepared."

Ruth Meighan
"Yes."

Hon. Eamon Courtenay
"They did not qualify for nationality."

Ruth Meighan
"Yes, according the report."

Hon. Eamon Courtenay
"And obviously did not qualify to be registered to vote."

Ruth Meighan
"Yes."

File: (January 18, 2012)
Jules Vasquez
"Now, I see a lot of political operators about - people who are trying to get their people processed, naturalized, registered - and you know that there is a bottle neck, back log, all these things. Are these political operators: a) exercising undue influence on your staff, and b) are some of them acting as paid agents of certain people to say that, 'I can facilitate this process; I know the guy inside'? Because these things happen; There is a tremendous rush; there will be discrepancies in operation."

Ruth Meighan
"I do not agree with you in terms of the discrepancies because we do go through due diligence in terms of the processing of the files. At the Elections and Boundaries Department around this time - same process where the political party in power is the party that takes people in to get them registered."

Jules Vasquez
"For a lot of the general public who don't know maybe that these things happen, this seems unseemly - a lot of people cueing up to become Belizean, the haste with which they are being co-expedited, processed and registered."

Ruth Meighan
"We have applications sitting in this office from as far back as 2005, and a lot of those applications, now, are being processed. Now, whatever their reason, or whoever is behind it, I don't know, but people are coming in for those applications, and there is no reason why we do not process them. So there isn't anything sinister going on in this department, as far as I am concerned."

Jules Vasquez
"The citizens out there now shake their head when they see all these people cueing up, this big crowd, all the political movers around."

Ruth Meighan
"That's an interesting question, and you are actually putting me on the spot, Jules, but what I would say basically is that this is something that we do. Immigration, elections - we register people, we process nationality. That's it. It just so happens that at certain times, we get more people than we would normally get, but that's basically it. I really don't see any other perspective, other than the fact that we work really hard around this time."

File: February 1, 2017
Hon. Eamon Courtenay "Oh they have to come in legally?"

Gordon Wade
"Well in my view, like I said from an immigration standpoint what this says ordinarily residing in Belize for 5 years in my view means legal, legally residing in Belize for 5 years."

Hon. Eamon Courtenay
"This is more opportune, who prepared this list of 2,110 names?"

Gordon Wade
"Those were prepared at the registry, the records management unit."

Hon. Eamon Courtenay
"Yeah but how do you know which 2,110, how did they know - why were these 2,110?"

Gordon Wade
"Because they were people that were sworn in."

Hon. Eamon Courtenay
"It is your evidence that you are aware that a number of these specific files were approved on the basis of an interpretation of section 10 in which you disagree?"

Gordon Wade
"Exactly."

Hon. Eamon Courtenay
"Right and it was the director and or the minister above you who looked at ordinarily resident and they put an interpretation on it which not an interpretation that is consistent with your 27 years' experience?"

Gordon Wade
"Right."

The hearings continue this Wednesday, and we'll show you what direction the Senate Committee decides to go with its new witnesses.