Another part of the report which caught the Senate Committee Chairman's attention was the Audit team's extensive investigation into nationality certificates granted to 2 Chinese nationals.
We've already told you about Jin Chen An, who used a fraudulent Chinese passport to get a Belize Visa, then Nationality less than 6 weeks later, and then a Belize Passport, 5 days after that.
Well, the Audit team says that another applicant Zhengjun (Zeng Jun) An turned around and used this same fraudulent Chinese passport to apply for a Nationality Certificate. It is unclear if the Nationality was granted, the Audit Team also couldn't verify if he either attempted or succeeded in getting a Belize passport. They did find out that he was granted a fraudulent permanent residency permit.
So, what does that have to do with Ady Pacheco? Well, the Audit team says that she accepted the Nationality application, and verified the immigration stamps in it as authentic, when clearly they were not.
So, did Pacheco properly inspect Zhengjun An's fraudulent passport? Well, she told the Senate that she did not any intensive verification:
Hon. Aldo Salazar
"When you look at the passport at the supporting information, it seem that there were fraudulent. She determine that they were fraudulent, because I believe it's the same passport number, just that the difference in the stamps, the dates are different in the stamps which supports the application. Isn't it a fact that you were obligated to certify contents in support of an application for nationality?"
Ady Pacheco
"We certify on face value. We would not go back and check if this visa actually belong to this person or if this extension belongs to this person or this temporary employment belong to this person."
Hon. Aldo Salazar
"So in order to certify the arrival date you would look in that passport and look for a stamp?"
Ady Pacheco
"Look for the stamp and the entry date."
Hon. Aldo Salazar
"At no time at any process would you look, was there an application for permanent residency? You were going just by stamps."
Ady Pacheco
"By face value."
Hon. Aldo Salazar
"When it says Ms. Pacheco verifies, when you say you verify, it's not really a verification, is it? You haven't verified? You only look at the stamps?"
Ady Pacheco
"Yes."
Hon. Aldo Salazar
"Were you ever aware of any circumstances where stamps were being created outside of the department?"
Ady Pacheco
"After the report came out. Before that, no."
An inspection of Jin Chen An's Belizean citizenship caused the Auditor General to suspect that there was an immigration hustle running in the background at the Department.
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