In our previous newscast, we told you how Reynaldo Verde, one of the most senior tax administrators in Belize, was detained by the FBI last Saturday. They took him into custody while he was transiting through the US; he was returning from an official trip to Brussels, where he attended an international tax conference.
Well, the FBI has released a statement to note Verde's arrest. Dated February 9th, the Feds said, quote, "The FBI announces the arrest of Reynaldo Verde, 46, of the country of Belize, by complaint for his alleged interference with commerce by means of extortion and attempted extortion. Verde, who is the Assistant Commissioner for the Department of General Sales Tax for the Government of Belize, was arrested without incident by the FBI at Washington Dulles International Airport on Saturday... End quote.
And as to the extortion allegation? Well, we are informed that it's is in connection with a real estate development in northern Belize. A US citizen has alleged that Verde extorted them.
We note also that the GST Department and the Income Tax Department recently merged to become the Belize Tax Service Department, and Verde is now the Deputy Tax Service Director at the now-merged Belize Tax Service Department.
And, his seniority in the country's tax administration is a major black-eye for Belize, since he's now being accused of extortion. We've since learned that his family wants the Government of Belize to get involved in the matter, but we're told that the Government is refusing to do so.
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