There is confirmation by Minister of Immigration Godwin Hulse of a story we broke on Wednesday that Director of Immigration Maria Marin has recommended the termination of three passport officers – Sharon Neal, Erwin Robinson and Omar Phillips. But tonight, there is evidence that the corruption goes much deeper and higher than those three public officers. News Five has received a copy of the actual report on the Belize Nationality Certificate issued to Won Hong Kim. That report details the entire process which resulted in the now infamous Won Hong Kim debacle, and yes, we can tell you tonight that former Minister of State Elvin Penner is named, and blamed, prominently in that report. So are two other senior officers in the nationality section, who pushed through the nationality certificate for Kim with no supporting documents, except that which they essentially manufactured. The nationality certificate led to the illegal issuance to Kim even as he sat in a Taiwanese jail. News Five has also received a copy of a memo dated January tenth, 2014 in which Immigration C.E.O., Candelaria Saldivar, instructs the Director of Immigration to request responses from those two officers for urgent and necessary action. Of note is that while there is a recommendation for the termination of three public officers from the passport section, there has been no recommendation for termination of the two senior officers in the nationality section. Also of note is that although the report makes clear Penner’s involvement in the corruption, he remains untouched by any investigation. And finally, of note, is that the report makes mention of other instances of corruption, missing files and expedited nationality certificates. We’ll have it all in Monday’s newscast, so be sure to tune in.
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