Since October, Minister of State in the Ministry of Education, Edmund Castro has been the focus of allegations that he is involved in a visa hustling ring. Last night Channel 5 reported that they had obtained copies of documents which they say implicates the Minister of State and his administration. Prime Minister Barrow responded to the allegations at today’s press conference.
RT. HON. DEAN BARROW
“I indicated that the Minister checked, spoke to the Director, the Director made it clear that at no stage did Minister Castro lean on her, call her in any way or intervened on her to try to procure a visa for a single solitary soul. The fact that he wrote letters of recommendations, on the face of it, is absolutely in order. Having had the minister’s report to me that the Director is crystal clear in saying there was no effort at twisting her arm or even gently persuading her on the part of Castro to give any visa. What you have produced is, in my view, not even remotely close to a smoking gun. On the face of it, ministers are entitled and perhaps obliged to write letters of recommendation. If you had shown that 200 or 100 or 75 and in combination with that there was any complaint, not complaint, any indication from the Immigration Director, who is the one who authorizes the visa, that Castro had intervened, then you would have had an argument.”
View the full article