On Tuesday, we told you how Auditor-General Dorothy Bradley completed her very last day in a 10-year stint as the country's ultimate watchdog against corruption in public life.

During that time, her office spearheaded many audit reports that led to significant exposure of corruption, abuse of public funds, and irregular behavior in different government departments.

One of those audit reports on the Immigration Department was so impactful, that it led to a 13-month-long Senate Inquiry on the Immigration Department, where evidence emerged of corruption, systematic violations of Immigration procedures, and, widespread political influence. There was the clear suggestion of a money-making enterprise that provided express lanes to Belizean national identity documents.

Yesterday, she and 11 other individuals were honored by the US State Department's Anti corruption Champion Award.

A press release says that she is deserving of this award because, quote, "Under her leadership as Auditor General, Bradley's office exposed corrupt practices and illegalities in the sale of Belizean passports, visas, and granting of Belizean citizenship to foreign nationals. Her report on the findings of an audit conducted at the Ministry of Immigration provided evidence that resulted in the dismissal of a sitting Cabinet Minister and contributed to the Belizean government signing the United Nations Convention Against Corruption (UNCAC) in December 2016." End quote.

Here's an excerpt of a speech she gave in acceptance of this honor:

Dorothy Bradley - Recipient, Anticorruption Champions Award
"I am most honored and humbled to accept the Anticorruption Champions Award on behalf of all nominees. It is a blessing to be recognized and bestowed with this award from the US Department of State. For me, it is a symbol of hope for people and institutions committed to changing the sullied landscape of global corruption. Together, we can move mountains, but it requires moving one pebble at a time. The inconvenient truth is that corruption is a scourge that threatens our world's democracies, and the value systems on which they are based. Corruption results in unjust enrichment that benefits its perpetrators. It can occur on both a local and international scale. Our collective work had demonstrated the need for government agents to work without fear or favor, because it inspires conscientious, courageous champions for justice around the world. It also underscores the need for citizen involvement to successfully combat corruption. This award, as well, is significant for my office, country, and fellow citizens, because it establishes the importance of citizen participation, demonstrates credibility to the office and its work, and support of our effort to combat corruption."

You'll remember that back when the Senate Inquiry took place, Bradley came under intense public pressure from members of the former Barrow Government. They took great exception to her findings, and despite attempts to discredit her work, she stood her ground.

Here's an excerpt of an Interview she gave shortly after the Senate hearings concluded:

Daniel Ortiz
"Are you vindicated in the revelations that have come out of the Senate hearings?"

Dorothy Bradley
"I would not call it vindicated because I never felt that way. We did an audit, we made a presentation and once it reached this committee I felt that we were making progress. It took a year, they met with different people, got the information they needed and I am very satisfied that we are at this point."

Daniel Ortiz
"Given the interest that the public has kept over those months, are you satisfied that the Belizean people were keeping themselves informed as to what was taking place in these hearings?"

Dorothy Bradley
"I was very impressed and I encourage people to continue because if we have a watchdog for the country, I call the people of Belize the watchdog, they must be vigilant because out of that we see what happens, we saw what happened. So, I continue to encourage people to do that. It is the right thing."