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Immigration And The Culture of Corruption
posted (June 7, 2017)

From there, the Senators wanted to hear his opinion about this culture of corruption inside the Immigration Department.

Last week, you’ve heard Alvarine Burgess’ account of the immigration hustle she claims to have been a part of. Before that, you heard about the case of the mysterious Barton Middleton, and his alleged ties to UDP insider Patrick Tillett. 

That’s the case where Tillett reportedly hired Middleton, and paid him handsomely as an agent, to help get Belize visas approved for Chinese nationals. 

Well, those accounts are being further supported by a memo which the Auditor General and her team unearthed during their audit of the Immigration Department. 

It’s dated September 12, 2005, and its from Former Immigration Director Jose Zetina, who wrote it to the then Minister of Home Affairs and Public Utilities. 

In it, Zetina said, quote, â€œIn the Nationality and Residence Section corruption stems from facilitating and speeding up the process of applications once payment is made to certain individual civilians who run this section…in some cases delay tactics are used to pressure individual applicants to pay for the services…â€￾ end quote.

So, did former Minister Carlos Perdomo encountered that type of culture at the Department in the 4 years that he was in charge?

That’s what he was asked, and here’s what he had to say:

Hon. Mark Lizarraga - Business Senator
"Minister were you aware while you were there of a culture of corruption in the department?"

Carlos Perdomo - Former Minister of Immigration
"I wasn't aware that there was a culture of corruption but in every talk with friends and so, you hear about customs, you hear about immigration, you hear about police so that is how you hear but I wasn't aware there was a culture within the department but you would hear jokes like this one got big house like that so. I did not know there was the operative type of thing."

"In the nationality and residence section corruption stems from facilitating and speeding up the process of application once payment is made to certain individual civilians who run this section. These applications are then given priority by ensuring that they meet all the requirements with documentation in order and submitted for vetting ahead of time. In some cases delayed tactics are used to pressure individual applicants to pay for the service. Selected applicants approvals are intentionally delayed or applicants are told further checks for documentation are needed in order to influence the payment of services."

Hon. Mark Lizarraga
"Minister did you encounter any of this while you were minister?"

Carlos Perdomo
"No, no, no."

Hon. Mark Lizarraga
"None of this?"

Carlos Perdomo
"No, no, no and the auditor general's report is referring to former director Zetina but I did not encounter that personally."

Hon. Mark Lizarraga
"You see, I'm asking you thing because you were once a minister, I'm trying to see who did what to try and correct the system. We have testimony from people within the department that there was a culture of corruption, that this is something that's long standing and now we're seeing where former director just before your time is saying look this thing is rearing its ugly head."

Carlos Perdomo
"But I didn't see this until today, what you are making me read, I didn't know about that so. I mean it makes good sense now but I didn't have knowledge of that"

Hon. Mark Lizarraga
"So as the minister of passport, nationality, immigration you were never aware that irregularities were taking place other than jokes with your friends?"

Carlos Perdomo
"I knew like for example before this case there was irregularities at the airport where the Cuban plane brought people, blah, blah - we put a stop to the Cuban plane so yes every now and then but the question you had asked me before was if I was aware of a culture of corruption, I am not."

Perdomo was the only witness called to testify in today’s hearing. The Senate intends to call 3 witnesses in next week Wednesday’s session.

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