7 News Belize

Immigration Minister Defends Himself
posted (November 4, 2010)
The issuance of visas to Asian Nationals has been a practice riddled with corruption for the past two decades. And no matter what strictures are put in, not matter how costly the visas, the corruption continues - at some level - almost unabated.

In the past Ministers of government have been directly implicated - but the present Minister Carlos Perdomo has publicly attested to his non-involvement in any such thing.

Now a new string of allegations has emerged - and they assert that the minister directly approved visas for Chinese Nationals. Yes, the smear is based on the unproven presumption that any visa issued to a Chinese national is inherently suspect.

But as we say in the news business, the story "has legs" and that's why Perdomo told us he felt the need to respond. He made it clear that yes, he participated in the approval of official visas to Chinese nationals but had no reason to believe they were fraudulent - and indeed, there is no proof that they were.

And while that response expected, what we didn't expect was Perdomo's revelation that he has been offered gifts and favours to facilitate certain immigration schemes. Here's the interview:….

Jules Vasquez
"So there are legitimate Chinese visitors who come through the Cuban gateway, that is your contention."

Hon. Carlos Perdomo, Minister of Immigration
"That's right and I believe that the allegations are beginning to mix up. That legal process of screening, of interviews, of the ministry being able to say yes or no…because for each 10 or 12 that we approve sometimes there is 30 that is not approved."

Jules Vasquez
"However you are aware why there might be a confusion because the smuggling of Chinese through Belize is a practice that started probably in the early 90's and it continues up to as recently as September."

Hon. Carlos Perdomo, Minister of Immigration
"That's right but the stricter we have been at the ministry with it, the more it seems like they are trying to corrupt the middle management of immigration as with the case of the airplane."

Jules Vasquez
"The Ministry Of National Security was in the practice of approving visas for Chinese persons, am I correct?"

Hon. Carlos Perdomo, Minister of Immigration
"Yes, the interviews and the recommendations go to the Director Of Immigration and then he comes to the ministry, we sit down and we decide numbers and who and we approve."

Jules Vasquez
"How do you make the decision? On what basis?"

Hon. Carlos Perdomo, Minister of Immigration
"Sometimes it's very difficult because there are a lot of them but we would do it on whether they have a family connection or if their presentation looks more believable than another, if they have a place to stay, where they will be going and things like that. Even when we gave the ok we would pass it to special branch, we would pass it to ministry of foreign affairs so that it would be a little bit more transparent so that it wouldn't be like a secret thing just between the ministries. We share it with the airport immigration so that they would have a check as to who was given a legal document or not."

Jules Vasquez
"Would you accept that perhaps unwittingly as Minister Of National Security And Immigration formerly Minister Of National Security that you have unwittingly issued visas to persons who have no legitimate interest in visiting Belize and are simply using it for a springboard unto United States?"

Hon. Carlos Perdomo, Minister of Immigration
"I suspect that we would have cases like that."

Jules Vasquez
"From the early 90s right up to the present day immigration ministers have numerous times been called into question."

Hon. Carlos Perdomo, Minister of Immigration
"And you are right, at present I am being called into question and that is why I am here trying to give more information so that people are aware that there is a legal way to do it and there is definitely an illegal way to do it. Even though there will be allegations I will repeat that from me personally I will not get involved in that kind of thing where somebody come to visit you for this or that, or facilitate things or for gain, or things like that. It will have to happen below me and I think we saw that. The stricter we get the more the network of people who deal with that kind of business go down."

Jules Vasquez
"But minister I have a sense of how things work, people must reach out to you and say, 'Minister I would want your help with so and so.'"

Hon. Carlos Perdomo, Minister of Immigration
"Yes they do and I usually direct them to the director. But you are right, I have been given gifts that I have asked them to take back, they don't ask you outright, but you know. So twice I have been offered gifts and I send them out of the office."

Jules Vasquez
"Are you able to say what kind of gifts? Cash gifts or like a suitcase or what?"

Hon. Carlos Perdomo, Minister of Immigration
"No its more like 2 bottles of whiskey and then the invitation for other things later so it's not like cash but it's like, 'help me and I'll...' But I have been able to resist that."

Jules Vasquez
"But it's a normal process in politics that politicians....."

Hon. Carlos Perdomo, Minister of Immigration
"You are right and sometimes after they hear that you strict they send your friend or they send a cousin or a nephew that they know that I have a good relationship with and like that."

Jules Vasquez
"But you are saying you resisted all these."

Hon. Carlos Perdomo, Minister of Immigration
"So far."

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