From there, Penner took questions for about 2 hours on his role in the approval of visas for persons who may not have qualified. 

The Senate took a quick lunch break and in the afternoon session, the Senators interrogated him on the Citizen Kim application, even though he wasn’t very forthcoming. Here’s how he and the Senators butted heads while trying to discuss his role in getting a passport for the South Korean fugitive:

Hon. Aldo Salazar - Chairman, Senate Select Committee
"It's been said here in evidence I think at recently as last week; was said that you accompanied the applicant. We know it was impossible to have accompany the applicant himself but the evidence adduced before us is that someone posing as Wong Hong Kim or believed at the time to be Wong Hong Kim in a black suit visited the Immigration and Nationality Department along with you. I believe it was Mr. Phillips who said that last or week before. So he said you accompanied the man in the black suit and in fact you were the person who was primarily involved in having that application submitted to the department."

Elvin Penner - Former Minister of Immigration
"I'm going to execute my privilege that I do believe that I have to not answer that question."

Hon. Aldo Salazar
"This is an interview with Gordon Wade and he says the minister Elvin Penner brought in the application without the original documents - okay sorry this is in relation to the nationality of Wong Hong Kim. He says that you brought in that application and that you promised to bring the native passport and birth certificate of Wong Hong Kim however you later requested that the file be passed to the director for her to deal with and thereafter was approved."

Elvin Penner
"If you would locate the nationality file of Kim Wong Hong - Wong Hong Kim sorry, Kim is the way I knew him by but Wong Hong Kim; if you would locate his original file you would see that all proper documents were in that file that needed to be in that file before that file was signed."

Hon. Eamon Courtenay - PUP Senator
"I understand it that you said just now that you knew a gentleman by the name of Kim Wong Hong?"

Elvin Penner
"No his name is Wong Hong Kim but better known to myself and friends of his as Mr. Kim."

Hon. Eamon Courtenay
"Mr. Kim, how and when did you meet Mr. Kim?"

Elvin Penner
"Again that's a question I will not answer."

Hon. Eamon Courtenay
"Mr. Penner can you tell the committee why you're not answering that question?"

Elvin Penner
"I made my statement and my reasons why in the opening statement, you can refer to that and like I said if that is not sufficient for you to excuse me to not answer that question then the Senate has the full right to do and take whatever actions you feel necessary to take."

Hon. Eamon Courtenay
"But you are confirming to this committee that this gentleman known as Mr. Kim was known to you?"

Elvin Penner
"Yes."

Hon. Eamon Courtenay
"You said and his friends, who else are you referring to?"

Elvin Penner
"I'm not going to answer that question with regards to Mr. Kim."

Hon. Eamon Courtenay
"Why are you not answering?"

Elvin Penner
"Refer to my opening statement."

Hon. Aldo Salazar
"I don't understand that answer because it’s a privilege; you are talking about a privilege against self-incrimination."

Elvin Penner
"I already said I am not concerned about your interpretation of the laws and privileges or privilege I don't have. I'm relying upon the legal advice I got."

Hon. Aldo Salazar
"Which is what?"

Elvin Penner
"Which is exactly what I read in the opening statement."

Hon. Aldo Salazar
"Let me know again because I don't recall."

Elvin Penner
"It has to do with Mr. Kim."

Hon. Aldo Salazar
"But it doesn't - there is no risk-"

Elvin Penner
"I don't know the name of Mr. Kim's friends. Whenever we had meetings in the past, I'm just saying that he was referred to by the persons in that meeting and myself as Mr. Kim."

Hon. Eamon Courtenay
"Who were in those meetings?"

Elvin Penner
"I said I don't recall who the persons are who were in that meeting."

Hon. Eamon Courtenay
"Where were the meetings?"

Elvin Penner
"They were in different places."

Hon. Eamon Courtenay
"Where?"

Elvin Penner
"They were in different places."

Hon. Eamon Courtenay
"Where?"

Elvin Penner
"I have been to Asia and several locations."

Hon. Eamon Courtenay
"Where?"

Elvin Penner
"In Taiwan, in China."

Hon. Eamon Courtenay
"Mainland?"

Elvin Penner
"Mainland China and those are the two I can recall."

Hon. Eamon Courtenay
"And a person by the name of Mr. Kim was present in those two meetings?"

Elvin Penner
"Yes."

Hon. Eamon Courtenay
"When was this?"

Elvin Penner
"I don't recall the exact dates."

Hon. Eamon Courtenay
"Well what year was it?"

Elvin Penner
"I wouldn't be able to recall the exact year either."

Hon. Eamon Courtenay
"Was it a year that you were a minister?"

Elvin Penner
"I believe the first time I met him perhaps was not but the second time perhaps was."

Hon. Eamon Courtenay
"When was the last time that you met or you were in the company of Mr. Kim?"

Elvin Penner
"Like I said I don't recall the exact dates."

Hon. Eamon Courtenay
"Who introduced you to Mr. Kim?"

Elvin Penner
"It was a business person from Taiwan; I don't recall the name of that person."

Hon. Eamon Courtenay
"Well I'm asking you to try to recollect, how did it come about?"

Elvin Penner
"It was a business trip where we went to meet with business men and -"

Hon. Eamon Courtenay
"Who is we?"

Elvin Penner
"It was a business trip that we made on behalf of the company."

Hon. Eamon Courtenay
"Who is we?"

Elvin Penner
"It was myself and if I recall correctly my cousin Peter although he was not present in that meeting that's because I went by myself. It was simply a meeting where I got to understand that there were some individuals that had interest in investing in Belize and that interested me as well for the better of the country and that's why I attended the meeting."

Hon. Eamon Courtenay
"And at that meeting Mr. Kim was present?"

Elvin Penner
"Yes."

Hon. Eamon Courtenay
"Did you and Mr. Kim at that meeting have any discussion about Belizean nationality, visa anything at all to do with immigration?"

Elvin Penner
"No."

Hon. Eamon Courtenay
"As a result of that what business interest did Mr. Kim express if any?"

Elvin Penner
"It was just that he had an interest in making investments in Belize."

Hon. Eamon Courtenay
"In what?"

Elvin Penner
"The main discussion would have been perhaps real estate."

Hon. Eamon Courtenay
"Real estate, did Mr. Kim ever come to Belize?"

Elvin Penner
"I don't know that."

Hon. Eamon Courtenay
"You ever met Mr. Kim in Belize?"

Elvin Penner
"No I have not."

Hon. Eamon Courtenay
"Besides the Taiwan meeting, China - what was the circumstances of your travelling to China?"

Elvin Penner
"It was a business slash vacation."

Hon. Eamon Courtenay
"Business slash vacation, this was before or after you were a minister?"

Elvin Penner
"After I was a minister."

Hon. Eamon Courtenay
"After you were a minister?"

Elvin Penner
“Yes.â€￾

Hon. Eamon Courtenay
“And you met with Mr. Kim after you were a minister in China?â€￾

Elvin Penner
“Yes. The Chinese trip I believe that if I recall correctly we had arranged to meet with Mr. Kim prior to going to China.â€￾

Hon. Eamon Courtenay
"And Mr. Kim is Korean, South Korean."

Elvin Penner
"Yes."

Hon. Eamon Courtenay
"You met him in Taiwan, China; you ever met him in South Korea?"

Elvin Penner
"I have never been to South Korea."

Hon. Eamon Courtenay
"You've never been to South Korea. Do you recall meeting Mr. Kim in any other country beside these two?"

Elvin Penner
"Not that I can recall."

Hon. Eamon Courtenay
"You would agree with me that since you have never met Mr. Kim in Belize, clearly you did not take him or accompany him to the passport office, is that correct?"

Elvin Penner
"I will not answer any more questions in regards to Mr. Kim."

Hon. Eamon Courtenay
"Why is that?"

Elvin Penner
"I read the statement this morning and I try in my best way possible to explain why not."

Hon. Eamon Courtenay
"Are you prepared to agree the obvious that if you have never met him in Belize, he did not accompany you to the Immigration and Nationality Department?"

Elvin Penner
"Again I will not answer any questions with regards to Mr. Kim."

Tune in to tomorrow’s newscast, when we’ll have the extensive back and forth on visas, where Penner was challenged on whether or not immigration officers felt pressured by him into approving documents for persons who did not qualify.