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Remember when containers were going missing form the Customs Department – it seemed left and right? Well, it was big news when three Customs personnel were criminally charged but the media wasn’t informed about three Customs personnel who were brought up on disciplinary charges. Rudolph Williams, Steve Young and Raul Cawach, were transferred when a container was found empty and abandoned on the Coastal Road.  That was the discipline meted out by the Public Services Commission but when their attorney Godfrey Smith, appealed to the Belize Advisory Council two of them, Williams and Young were re-instated. Yesterday he told me how they got off.

Godfrey Smith, Attorney for Customs Officers
“The Public Services Commission put them on interdiction, suspended them, heard the case and in relation to Mr. Rudolph Williams and Mr. Steve Young they reprimanded them and transferred them out of the Customs Department completely. In relation to the third officer, Mr. Cawich, he was dismissed from the public service entirely. We were not happy with the decision. We believe the Public Services Commission got it wrong and therefore as was the right of the Customs officers, we appealed to the Belize Advisory Council.

The Belize Advisory Council heard the matter and in relation to Rudolph Williams and Steve Young, the Advisory Council allowed the appeals. The effect of that is that those Customs officers can go back to working at the Customs Department. It means that the reprimand against them has been quashed, has been set aside and the decision that they be removed from the Customs Department has been set aside which means they are to be automatically reinstated as Customs officers, same rank, same pay, same everything just as if nothing had occurred. The decision of the Advisory Council was silent in relation to Mr. Cawich so I am awaiting word. If I don’t get word I will have to write to them to find out what is the decision in relation to Mr. Cawich.”

Cawich, however, has been dismissed from his duties.