Last week, we showed you how the Senate Select Committee finally learned who the mysterious “Mr. Middletonâ€￾ is. He’s Barton Middleton, a private citizen, businessman, and allegedly, a “fixerâ€￾, well-known in certain circles.  After the Senate Committee began digging into the 8 stolen visas of November 2012, his name was called repeatedly as the moving hand in the theft of 6 of those visas. The most explosive testimony against Middleton came from UDP insider Patrick Tillett. Tillett went before the Senate saying that he briefly ran a visa procurement service for Chinese Nationals who wanted to visit Belize. He said that he was contracted to get 6 visas for some “Chinese clientsâ€￾, and he was paid $6,000 each, to a total sum of $36,000. 

Tillett said that from that amount, the “clientsâ€￾ were paying $2,000 to Government for the application, and $1,000 to so that he ensured that the application was in order. The final $3,000 per visa went to Middleton, who was hired to take the visas into the Belmopan Immigration Department. He was also supposed to do “any necessary follow-upâ€￾. The Senate quickly pointed out to Tillett that Middleton might have been paid such a high sum, so that he would do whatever was necessary, even an illegal act, to get those visas.

Tillett confessed no knowledge of any such act and today the Senate got to ask Middleton himself.  But when the mystery man showed up today, it quickly became apparent to everyone that he had no intention of cooperating with the Senate Committee. Here’s the back and forth he had with them over the stolen visas:

Hon. Aldo Salazar - Chairman, Senate Select Committee
"Your named was mentioned as being the person who was in possession of those 8 stolen visas. Were you ever in possession of visas?"

Barton Middleton - Implicated in Visa Theft
"No."

Hon. Aldo Salazar
"Do you know Mr. Patrick Tillet?"

Barton Middleton
"No."

Hon. Aldo Salazar
"Mr. Patrick said that he paid you 3,000 dollars to take visa applications - 8 visa applications into the immigration and nationality department in relation to 8 Chinese nationals and that he paid you 3,000 dollars each. Is that correct?"

Barton Middleton
"No."

Hon. Aldo Salazar
"Do you know any reason why Mr. Tillet would lie about you?"

Barton Middleton
"No."

Hon. Aldo Salazar
"He had discovered that visas were not capable of being utilised and that he mentioned this to you in Belize City in a meeting with him. Is that correct?"

Barton Middleton
"No."

Hon. Aldo Salazar
"Mr. Mark Tench said that subsequent to a meeting with Patrick Tillet and Eric Chang in Belize City that he went to Orange Walk Town and that he spoke to a Ms. Cassanova. Do you know Ms. Cassanova?"

Barton Middleton
"Yes."

Hon. Aldo Salazar
"How is that you know Ms. Cassanova?"

Barton Middleton
"Met her through my brother."

Aldo Salazar
"Mr. Mark Tench also said that when he met you - when he started to investigate the matter of 8 missing visas from the western boarder station that it led him to Orange Walk to speak to Ms. Cassanova. How did Ms. Cassanova call you at any time about the fact that immigration officers were investigating your involvement into 8 missing visas?"

Barton Middleton
"I have no recollection of that sir."

Aldo Salazar
"Well you said you don't know Mr. Tillet, I don't know why he would make this story up about you, is that correct?"

Barton Middleton
"Yes sir."

Aldo Salazar
"You said you know Ms. Cassanova."

Barton Middleton
"Yes."

Aldo Salazar
"Okay and you don't recall Ms. Cassanova called you?"

Barton Middleton
"No."

Aldo Salazar
"Subsequent to Ms. Cassanova calling you, did you speak to Mr. Tech?"

Barton Middleton
"I have no recollection of that sir."

Aldo Salazar
"Do you know a Mr. Khaddaffy?"

Barton Middleton
"No."

Aldo Salazar
"Okay Mr. Tench also said that he went to Corozal Town, spoke to Mr. Khaddaffy. Khaddaffy pointed the finger back at you to say that you were really the mastermind behind getting these stolen visas. You find that funny? You recollect that part?"

Barton Middleton
"No sir."

Aldo Salazar
"Was there something you found humorous?"

Barton Middleton
"I just find it humorous that's all."

Aldo Salazar
"Okay is there a particular reason?"

Barton Middleton
"No."

Aldo Salazar
"Okay so Khaddaffy said that you were the mastermind about these stolen visas. I hope you can appreciate that I'm not making this up right? I'm not sitting here making this up."

Barton Middleton
"I'm not saying that you are."

Aldo Salazar
"I'm saying that this is the evidence that one, two, three persons have identified you in this situation. One Mr. Tillet - Mr. Tillet said he spoke to you, Mr. Tench said he spoke to you, Ms. Cassanova who you admit knowing said she spoke to you as well but you don't recall having a conversation with either Tillet, Tench or Cassanova?"

Barton Middleton
"No."

Aldo Salazar
"Do you suffer from any medical impediment which affects your memory?"

Barton Middleton
"Well I can't say so for sure but recently I removed a tumour from the back of my head so, I don't know."

Aldo Salazar
"You remove a tumour from the back of your head?

Barton Middleton
"Yes."

Aldo Salazar
"Where was this done?"

Barton Middleton
"In Corozal."

Aldo Salazar
"In Corozal hospital?"

Barton Middleton
"Yes."

Aldo Salazar
"Corozal hospital does brain surgery?"

Barton Middleton
"It's um... I don't know the group of white people that come in every once in a while and they come in to aid with surgeries and stuff like that."

Aldo Salazar
"Was the surgery exoskeletal meaning was it outside of your skull or inside the skull?"

Barton Middleton
"I'm not sure."

Aldo Salazar
"You’re not sure?"

Barton Middleton
"I can't recall."

Aldo Salazar
"You can't recall whether your skull was open to remove tumour?"

Barton Middleton
"I was put under anaesthesia sir."

Aldo Salazar
"But when you woke up (laugh)..."

Barton Middleton
"You find that funny?"

Aldo Salazar
"Actually I am flabbergasted but I get to ask the questions. It's not funny, I don't find it funny."

Barton Middleton
"Okay because surgery is a serious thing."

Aldo Salazar
"Yes and that's why I don't understand how you would not know that the surgery was either performed outside of the skull or inside of the skull."

Barton Middleton
"I can't recall whether it was outside or inside, all I know I was put to sleep and they cut the back of my head and I was under for two hours and I woke up."

Hon. Mark Lizarraga - Senator, Business Sector
"But you said you've never signed for the delivery of recovery of any documents at the passport. Is that correct?"

Barton Middleton
"I can't recall, I can't recall whether or not I did."

Hon. Mark Lizarraga
"But this morning you said you never signed, were you lying?"

Barton Middleton
"I can't recall."

Hon. Mark Lizarraga
"You have selective memory Mr. Middleton, that's what you have."

Barton Middleton
"My duty as a citizen in Belize is to come here and answer your questions because it was a summons and when someone is summoned they must appear by law. I'm here today and I feel that based on testimony given by different people that it's a right for this committee to question me but I also believe that I am being badgered and I have explained, I don't know anything about any visas and as long as the questioning goes on, I remain to tell you that I don't know anything about any visas; and what people have been saying about me, that's their statement. I don't know these people and I resent the fact that - to come here today and I feel like my time is being wasted because I don't know anything about any visas."

Aldo Salazar
"This fantastic story about Mr. Tench is telling a lie about you, Mr. Tillet is telling a lie about you, Ms. Cassanova is lying about you, that is absolutely unbelievable from where I am sitting. I'm sure that the majority of the people watching this are as flabbergasted as I am. Clearly there's no brain surgery done at Corozal Town, I don't see how the removal of a growth outside your skull would affect your memory in such a significant way."

Barton Middleton
"I never said it did, I said it's possible, I never said it did."

Aldo Salazar
"I'm not playing games, this is incredible."