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Alvarine Says Cops was The Immigration Mastermind, He Denies
posted (May 31, 2017)

But, Alvarine Burgess' disclosure about those other 2 ministers came long after the biggest bombshell of the day. She testified that the mastermind for those visas, where Castro was allegedly paid tens of thousands of dollars for the recommendations, is Assistant Superintendent Rochelle Chan.

You may know him as the senior officer in charge at the Hattieville Police Station, but Alvarine Burgess described him today as the middleman who handled all the cash she collected for about 200 visas, to pay off bribes to the two ministers, to pay the legitimate fees to the Government of Belize, and her cut for performing this service. 

She told the Senate today that it was ASP Chan who recruited her into the business, and he allegedly collected the money and the documents for the Asian "clients". He would then allegedly prepare envelopes with the application file for each Asian applicant, and the envelope which contained $2,000 for each applicant who needed a recommendation. She was supposed to drop this off for Castro, and then pay the Immigration Department. Afterwards, when the transaction was done, she allegedly collected her $1,500 for her trip to Belmopan. 

Here's that explosive reveal which implicates Rochelle Chan:

Hon. Aldo Salazar - Chairman, Senate Select Committee
"I want to know where you got the money from."

Alvarine Burgess - Witness, Senate Hearing
"I got the money from a sergeant who was in police by the name of Rochelle Chan. He wasn't my friend in the beginning but we became acquaintances when he was introduced to me. I came to Belmopan and I met Mr. Chan so when we were introduced me and Mr. Chan, my cousin went; I don't know where he went, me and Mr. Chan sat down at a place in Belmopan."

Hon. Aldo Salazar
"Driving into Belmopan?"

Alvarine Burgess
"Yes we were in Mr. Chan's vehicle and he mentioned to me if I know anybody in immigration department because he heard when I mentioned to my cousin what I came here to do and I asked him what he meant and he said I heard you mentioning to your cousin that you were helping your neighbour get her nationality and I told him I do not know anybody in the immigration department. Mr. Chan mentioned to me that even if I know people up higher or something like that, I told him yes I know Minister Castro, I know Minister John Saldivar because we went to high school together and I know Minister Contreras because my husband use to play football with him. He mentioned to me that if I want to make some money, so I asked him what you mean. He said there is money in getting visas for Chinese nationals because he was the one, I would have to come to every week when he calls me to get the visa recommendation. I would need to get some help from the people that I know in the higher up because he Rochelle Chan used to do the visa thing for his brother in law Mr. Elvin Penner but Mr. Penner got greedy on him so he backed out."

Hon. Aldo Salazar
"Mr. Chan told you this?"

Alvarine Burgess
"He did tell me that, that is how we came to the Minister Castro afterwards."

Speaking with Inspector Rochelle Chan today, he told us that there is no truth to the allegation.  He conceded that he did know her and remembers drinking with her.  He says he met her at a bar.  Though he says he hadn't heard her testimony, when we outlined her allegation that he was a major player in the immigration operation, he said quote, "It is a lie, whatever she is saying."

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