Dr Fernando Cuellar - you could call him Belize's doctor - he's known to make himself available to comment on any health matter of public interest - and he's known also to speak his mind - even if it means bashing the government of the day. And that's why a memorandum circulating in the public service has rankled many. It's a directive from the Ministry of the Public Service supporting an ex gratia payment of $90,000 dollars to Dr Cuellar, on his request.
It relates to his time as a public officer which the memo says is from 1991 to 2005. He got his gratuity of 78 thousand when he quit, but when he passed the age of 55, he found out that he could not access his pension - even though he had been told that his years of service made him pensionable.
Now, there may be differences of opinion about this - but the memorandum says, quote, "this Ministry supports Dr. Cuellar's request for the payment of an ex-gratia payment."
Today we reached out to Dr Cuellar to explain the proposed payment - and, as always, he agreed to do an interview on it:
Jules Vasquez
"I have been sent a document, sources have sent it to me; a request for ex-gratia payment for Dr, Fernando Cuellar for $90,000. Much is being made of it that why should you received this ex-gratia payment when you demitted, left the public service in 2005."
Dr. Fernando Cuellar
"I like your choice of words - this was sent to you. You purposely no use the word "leak." it's a public document, I think it involves government and tax payers' dollars, so it's not a private matter. But definitely its money owed to me for my pension and I was in negotiation with the public service to whether accept or think about doing a request for ex-gratia payment versus continue with the pursuit of the pension and when we did the numbers, the ex-gratia payment came much less than the actual pensionable numbers, but I thought that better I get this money now, before I continue along this everlasting road which might not have an end."
"So, thats where we are and I am very much secure my mind that this is money owed to me. I am not doing anything hanky panky or anything of that sort."
Jules Vasquez
"You only worked 14 years, 1991-2005."
Dr. Fernando Cuellar
"There is some error there. That's where the problem lies that it's not complete. But at the time I was advised by the then HR that my papers should be in place for my pension to go through."
Jules Vasquez
"How do you respond though to the argument that, okay, you have the 15 years, but then you took 3-4 study leave?"
Dr. Fernando Cuellar
"Yeah, you see even that, it sounds like you've asked questions, because that was a part of the debate, that whether or not the study leave - one was with pay, one was without pay and how that was factored into the whole thing."
Jules Vasquez
"Are you able to say with a clean heart and..."
Dr. Fernando Cuellar
"...and soul and ethics that I feel like I earned it. I was pretty much convinced that I earned it."
Jules Vasquez
"One of the people who sent me this is like, look like they are trying to buy out Dr. Cuellar."
Dr. Fernando Cuellar
"That is an insult, because if they buy me out, they have to put few other zeroes at the end. I will not be ashamed to say that.... but not for $90,000 and please don't edit this part. It would be at least 5 zeroes at the end - $9 million. I am not stupid, I am not a fool. If I would compromise my integrity, it would be for a lot of money."
We stress that Doctor Cuellar has not been paid any money yet, his request has simply been supported by the Ministry of the Public Service. We apologize for any misunderstanding about that which our headline may have created; no payment has been made.
Cuellar says he had been pursuing his pension for the better part of two years.
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