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Former Immigration CEO Defends Her Reputation
posted (February 9, 2017)
The Former CEO also had to defend herself in yesterday's hearing as well because the Auditor General names her as one of the Government officials who intervened in a questionable way for applicants trying to get immigration documents.

As soon as the Senate brought that topic up, she jumped at the opportunity to point out that the Auditor General's team got it wrong with her because she was simply doing her duty as the supervisor of the Director of Immigration. Here's that back and forth with the Senate Senate Select Committee:

Hon. Elena Smith, Senator
"Miss Morter, on page 9 at paragraph 8, it identifies you as one of the persons who made request for applicants to be facilitated with Belize Visa. That's on page 9. Could you say whether that is so?"

Candelaria Saldivar-Morter - Former CEO In Charge of Immigration
"Again, I mentioned earlier that as the CEO I am the supervisor for the director of immigration. And so as the CEO, if any document, if any application whether it is for visa, for passport, for nationality by some way ends up on my desk, it is my responsibility to forward it, because I am not the person that deals with it. So it is my responsibility to send the document over to Miss Marin and say 'these are for your necessary action.'"

Hon. Elena Smith, Senator
"So are you saying that this matter is referring to that?"

Candelaria Saldivar-Morter
"At no time have I ever recommended anybody for a visa. She mentioned one. There are several times that documents reached my desk, either through the minister or through other ministries where they are requesting visas for different reasons. I then forward the application to the director who is expected to action the file. In terms of my personally recommending a visa, I have never done that. I never interfere with the work of the director of immigration in terms of those things. I only deal with the director in terms of what is my responsibility and in terms of my job as her supervisor."

Hon. Aldo Salazar - Chairman, Senate Select Committee
"I want to clarify and elucidate that point if we can. If you look at same page 9 which Senator Smith pointed to at that paragraph, it says, the auditor general's report says "Chief executive officer made request for applicants to be facilitated with Belize Visas at BMPS." We know that chief executive officer, CEO of Labor, Miss Candelaria Saldivar-Morter, the CEO at the time, requested that some visa applicants receive Belize Visas from the BMPS and then it goes to appendix 2. If you look at appendix 2, it says 'only memo from CEO'... So you are saying the statement that you requested that they facilitate a visa is false?"

Candelaria Saldivar-Morter
"I never ask for them to facilitate any visa. Like I mentioned, sometimes application reaches my desk and all I do is forward it to the director for action. I am not the director, I do not approve visas. So if an application reaches my desk, I have to forward it. It is not only immigration department that documents reaches my desk and I have to route it to the correct department. Things come to my desk for the labor commissioner and I have to route it to him for necessary action. It won't be that I recommended."

Hon. Aldo Salazar
"Again, speaking for myself, this gives the impression, so I want you to clarify that. It gives the impression that you wrote and say please facilitate these people with visas."

Candelaria Saldivar-Morter
"I always and it is not only this case and that's why I was concerned as to why only this case. But I sent over more than one memo."

Hon. Aldo Salazar
"And what would this memo have said?"

Candelaria Saldivar-Morter
"Submitted for necessary action or for consideration or whatever. But the thing is it's not for me. It is information that comes to my desk and I forward. If an application comes for a work permit, I send it to commissioner of labor. If something comes for NEMO, I sent it over to NEMO. It is in that capacity that I write to the director of immigration, not in a personal..."

Hon. Aldo Salazar
"The auditor general is putting you as sponsor in this table."

Candelaria Saldivar-Morter
"I was kind of concern that I was group with, because I am the supervisor of the director and so documents that comes to me, I sent to the director for her to action. That is under the only condition that I have ever sent any request to the director."

At the next hearing, the Senate Committee intends to call Theresita Castellanos, Eric Chang and Patrick Tillett and George Reynolds. That's right, that's the the same former Deputy Mayor Eric Chang who allegedly bought those 8 stolen visas from an Immigration Officer, and who allegedly acted as the broker for that scandalous passport for Won Hong Kim, while he was in the Taiwanese Jail back in 2013. That's who the Senate wants to answer a few questions, but there could be a problem.

Chang has since exited public life, and he's now a private citizen. This means that he has no obligations to show up and present himself before the Senate, which would mean that they may have to take steps to compel him to testify.

Of important not is that former CEO Candelaria Saldivar-Morter is also a private citizen, and she did not have to answer to the summons yesterday because she is no longer a public officer. She did so of her own free will.

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