The House of Representatives met today and though Elvin Penner wasn't there, he was much discussed - and we'll have that shortly. But first, to a strange and compelling email we got a few hours ago. The e-mail purports to come from Elvin Penner - who has made no significant comment since he was forced to resign from cabinet eight days ago. We tried to verify its authenticity by texting him but got no response. But we are treating it as real based on the fact that it comes from Penner's known email address - the same one listed as his reference on the Passport Application for Won Hong Kim.
In the email, Penner says that there's been a major mix up. He says, quote, "The events that have been unfolding at the Immigration Department came as a surprise to me as much as they did to you and certainly the Public at large." He continues, quote, "What I do know is that (an) Asian person whom I have known through business trips ,even before I entered politics, came to me for a signature so he could get his passport. He also mention that he needed it urgently since he was about to go on a trip and was more than willing to pay the regular one day service fee."
Penner adds, "The picture on the nationality document he presented to me, the Korean passport that he had with him and the passport size pictures that I also signed did not raise any suspicion since they were all of the same person. The person whom I knew as Mr. Kim."
Penner's email says, he wanted to help a business person and personally went with Kim to the passport office to quote, "see to it that he would get proper attention and would get his passport the same day." End quote.
But, here's where things take a turn: Penner says now that he sees the picture of the person who is said to be Wonhong Kim on the news, that's not the person he gave the passport to. That's a major bombshell! He says, quote, "it has become clear to me that the person for whom I signed the application for could never have been Mr. Wonhong Kim. I can only assume that he was impersonating Mr. Wonhong Kim."
Now, at this point, we will add that there is a great degree of confusion over how Hon Wong Kim looks. Former Channel 5 reporter Jose Sanchez was the first to post this picture on FACEBOOK; but through a source in Taiwan we got this news clip from South Korea - and though the resolution is low and he's wearing a hat, they don't look too much alike. And then we saw the nationality certificate, and that person doesn't like any of the other two!
Mass confusion and the Penner email says, quote, "If you compare the picture of Mr. Wonhong Kim that the media has been showing it does not even remotely resemble the person that presented himself to myself and the immigration department."
And then the email adds, quote, "I can understand having made such a major oversight that in the best interest of the entire country it called for my resignation. what I cannot understand is why the officers have gotten suspended." The email closes with Penner saying, "I will continue to serve my constituency and country as long the people of my area want me to. I did not simply become an elected Area Rep. It is the people of Cayo Northeast who elected me and it is only the people of Cayo Northeast that can remove me as their representative." End quote.
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