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Today, we got a chance to speak with the Prime Minister about it at another event. He gave the most charitable interpretation possible to the cancellation. Here's how he put it:...

Rt. Hon. Dean Barrow, Prime Minister
"I am to some degree, perplexed, because I only know what I have heard from Minister Castro and what I have seen in a letter that he shared with me from the US Embassy meaning that there is no indication of any reason for the revocation of the visas except that the minister declined to come in when invited to do so to discuss the whole issue of renewal of the visas since those visas were about to expire."

"He refused to go in because he's saying he's not interested. In other words, had the visas not been revoked, had they been allowed in the next couple of months, he would not have sought any renewal. In that context while speculation will no doubt run riot, there is nothing at all to go on that can sustain any allegation, any contention that the revocation was for impropriety. Certainly the US authorities have never approached me with any kind of complaint of any kind of expression of concern about the minister."

"I am afraid all, I can do is to say that it is then a personal matter for the minister."

Jules Vasquez, 7News
"But supposedly the embassy if we are to believe Alvarine Burgess, the embassy has a recording with Mister Castro, Minister Castro transacting immigration business for a fee, supposedly."

Rt. Hon. Dean Barrow, Prime Minister
"Well I don't believe that quite frankly, because if that were so it is my feeling that the US Embassy would have spoken to me. Look, certainly a couple of years ago, there was an indication of some disquiet on the part of the US authorities concerning an official in the immigration department. I say this merely to make the point that it is not as though the US will keep silent about the conduct of Belize government officials regardless of how egregious that conduct might be. In these circumstances, their never having come to me about any recording or about any other activity, report, suggestion regarding minister Castro means that I am left with no choice but to conclude that what happened in terms of the visa revocation took place for circumstances or for reasons that have nothing to do with impropriety,"

Jules Vasquez, 7News
"When Maxwell Samuels visa was revoked in the early 2000's, your party at the time made great fun with it in terms of you all interpreted it as a direct indictment of the Musa administration and of the fraudulent immigration practices which were happening then. Isn't that then still an inevitable conclusion?"

Rt. Hon. Dean Barrow, Prime Minister
"I don't know whether if in the case of Maxwell Samuels, a letter was written to him,. I don't know what the circumstances were, and in that kind of a context, you can see how the speculation then would have been legitimate - I'm making the point that there will be speculation even now - but there is much more to go on in terms of the correspondence with Castro, in terms of the invitation that was extended to him twice to come in an discuss the visas and his refusal on the basis that he is not interested."

Jules Vasquez, 7News
"But as a state official you need to go to the States sometimes, you need to traffic through the States to go to Barbados, Jamaica - I'm saying just as a practical necessity. Why would one be so...?"

Rt. Hon. Dean Barrow, Prime Minister
"No. I'm surprise you should say that. You are a man who is much very much current with the state of affairs in terms of transportation and movement and so and you know you can get to Barbados - you can get to anywhere without going to the States."

Jules Vasquez, 7News
"Have there been any other ministers who suffered the same fate? There are many rumors."

Rt. Hon. Dean Barrow, Prime Minister
"Unless they have done so without telling me, the answer is no."

Jules Vasquez, 7News
"Any other senior officials? We know the case with Ruth Meighan."

Rt. Hon. Dean Barrow, Prime Minister
"Again, I only know what I saw, heard on the news, which I have no doubt is true. But likewise there was never any official communication to me about Ruth Meighan."