We now turn to the next big witness who testified this afternoon in the Senate Hearings on Immigration. That’s Patrick Tillett, the former Financial Controller for the Belize City Council, who had to explain how he came into possession of 6 of those 8 visas which were stolen from the Immigration Department’s Benque Border Station. 

He gave an extraordinary testimony telling the Senate that he charged 6 Chinese nationals $6,000 each to help them get their Belize Visas. Now, if you’re wondering how lucrative this operation was, Tillett laid it out for the Senate Select Committee. He said that in his brief visa operation, he used $3,000 out of that sum to pay an Immigration agent he knew as Mr. Middleton, and paid 2 thousand dollars toward the Government of Belize, as the face value for the Visas. The remaining one thousand dollars, Tillett said, was his fee to run the operation. Here’s how he broke it down:

Patrick Tillet - Former Financial Controller, Belize City Council
"I provided 6 visa applications to an agent."

Hon. Aldo Salazar - Chairman, Senate Select Committee
"Who was this agent?"

Patrick Tillet
"Mr. Middleton. 6 visa applications."

Hon. Aldo Salazar
"You know his first name?"

Patrick Tillet
"No I don't remember his first name right now. 6 visa applications were given to Mr. Middleton, what does a visa application entails? You have the client passport, they have an itinerary, they may have sponsorship of support, they have whatever documents I'm sure you could check with immigration and get the details of what a visa application entails. So I have gave Mr. Middleton 6 visa applications for him to handle the filing and processing at the department of immigration. As far as I know immigration does not sell visas, you don't want in with 2 thousand dollars and say I want a visa. As far as I know you make an application, your application is analysed and determined and when you have said yes to that application you pay the 2 thousand dollars and you get a visa application. That is what I paid for on behalf of my clients."

Hon. Dr. Carla Barnett - UDP Senator
"Mr. Middleton has an office?"

Patrick Tillet
"He was introduced to me; I didn't meet him at his office."

Hon. Dr. Carla Barnett
"Okay I just find it kind of difficult that you would have handed over people's passport and application to somebody who you didn't know their first name."

Patrick Tillet
"I knew his first name at the time when he was introduced, now I don't remember his first name."

Hon. Dr. Carla Barnett
"Do you know where his office is, does he have an office or does he work out of the back of his car?"

Patrick Tillet
"Freelance people may work at home."

Hon. Aldo Salazar
"You're a visa agent?"

Patrick Tillet
"No."

Hon. Aldo Salazar
"So how is that you were involved in processing 6 visas for people? Were they family members? The 6 people that you were assisting with visas, were they your family members?"

Patrick Tillet
"I was approached."

Hon. Aldo Salazar
"By whom, who approached you?"

Patrick Tillet
"By the clients, the agent for the clients."

Hon. Aldo Salazar
"The agent for the clients, we don't want to get ahead of ourselves please. You were approached by agents for your clients, who was the agent for your clients?"

Patrick Tillet
"As Eric mentioned two people came from him and I think 4 was from a gentleman Gian Chen."

Hon. Aldo Salazar
"Okay so you were approached by agents for 6 people you referred to as clients who wanted visas?"

Patrick Tillet
"Correct."

Hon. Aldo Salazar
"You run a business to help people to get visas?"

Patrick Tillet
"No that's not normally what I do, I'm an accountant."

Hon. Aldo Salazar
"Well I have clients because I am an attorney, I have clients. I run a business where I provide legal services; that's why I'm asking do you run a business whereby you provide visa services to the public."

Patrick Tillet
"Not generally but if a person who I know ask me I may consider it. I ensure that visa applications are properly filled out, that the requirements for the visa application was met."

Hon. Aldo Salazar
"And you took it to Belmopan?"

Patrick Tillet
"No remember I hire the agents."

Hon. Aldo Salazar
"You hired Mr. Middleton."

Patrick Tillet
"Correct."

Hon. Aldo Salazar
"Okay so Mr. Middleton, how much did you charge for the service?"

Patrick Tillet
"6 thousand."

Hon. Aldo Salazar
"6 thousand, so that's a thousand each?"

Patrick Tillet
"6 thousand per visa application."

Hon. Aldo Salazar
"You charge 6 thousand dollars per visa application?"

Patrick Tillet
"That's inclusive of the government fee of 2 thousand dollars, so really my fee is 4 thousand."

Hon. Aldo Salazar
"So you charge 4 thousand to make sure the visa application was filled out properly?"

Patrick Tillet
"I actually paid the agent 3 thousand."

Hon. Aldo Salazar
"And what was he supposed to do, the agent?"

Patrick Tillet
"He was supposed to file the visa application with the immigration department and follow it through until the completion."

Hon. Eamon Courtenay - PUP Senator
"You started by saying the criteria is to fill out an application form, a list of supporting documents and a fee. Is that correct?"

Patrick Tillet
"Yes."

Hon. Eamon Courtenay
"And that is all?"

Patrick Tillet
"Yes."

Hon. Eamon Courtenay
"And you charge one thousand dollars for that, to look at these make sure the form was filled out and the supporting documents are there, a thousand dollars?"

Patrick Tillet
"Yes."

Hon. Eamon Courtenay
"And then for the agent to take it to the immigration department and follow up is what you said, 3 thousand dollars for that?"

Patrick Tillet
"Yes."

Hon. Eamon Courtenay
"And the fee to the government is 2 thousand. All of this was above board."

Patrick Tillet
"Yes."

Hon. Eamon Courtenay
"So what was the necessity for paying you a thousand and paying 3 thousand to this person if it's all above board?"

Patrick Tillet
"I suspect that when they don't have confidence when they apply they will get one."

Hon. Eamon Courtenay
"Who is they? I don't understand."

Patrick Tillet
"The clients don't have confidence in doing it themselves so they pay for it."

Hon. Eamon Courtenay
"But it's above board, they have fulfilled the requirements, you have assured them of that, so what are they paying 3 thousand dollars for?"

Patrick Tillet
"People are willing to pay."

Hon. Eamon Courtenay
"I understand that but you are in the business, what are they paying 3 thousand dollars for?"

Patrick Tillet
"I just explained to you what they are paying for, for me to handle the processing for them."

Hon. Eamon Courtenay
"What is there to handle? Going to the office?"

Patrick Tillet
"I sent an agent."

Hon. Eamon Courtenay
"What does the agent do?"

Patrick Tillet
"He handles it."

Hon. Eamon Courtenay
"What does that mean?"

Patrick Tillet
"He should file it with the immigration department and handle any if there is a discrepancy, if there is any follow up, that's what he will handle."

We told you back in August of last year that this mysterious, “Mr. Middletonâ€￾, who is the person identified as the stolen visa salesman says it wasn’t him.. In the audit, he was introduced as the common-law husband of an immigration officer. He came to our office at that time to say that he is not that immigration officer’s common-law, and he that he knows nothing of any stolen visas which were sold.

Also, in tomorrow night’s newscast, we’ll show you Immigration Officer Linsey Wade’s testimony before the Senate. He was the immigration officer accused of stealing those 8 visa foils from the Western Border Station, and he went before the Senate to say that he is innocent.