On Thursday, Belize's ambassador to Mexico, Salvador Figueroa was all over the print and television news claiming that it's his sharp work that led to the identification of Leslie Pipersburgh and Patrick Robateau. But today, the relative of Figueroa's secretary is boldly disputing that story. She first appeared on Krem's "wub" this morning claiming that her sister identified the men, not Ambassador Figueroa. Wishing to obscure her identity, she today narrated the sequence of events that really led to the identification of the duo:
Her version of what actually took place is that she was processing the documents, travel documents, for these two Belizean citizens, and glancing at the photographs she thought that these faces looked familiar and she said in her mind that she mentally thought quickly and she remembered the newspapers in her drawer and she opened her drawer. From where she sat the fugitives couldn't see her, so she opened the drawer and she compared the photographs with those in the newspapers in the drawer and they were almost identical. So, to verify what she is seeing, she then got it to the ambassador's attention. So the ambassador's claiming credit for recognizing the fugitives is not really the truth. Actually, he didn't. It's the employee who did and she brought it to his attention. I feel, I feel that it is fraudulent, he's taking credit for something that he shouldn't have any credit for whatsoever. I don't know if he is seeking glorification, he says that he is not making any claims on the money, that he doesn't want it, then what is he seeking, what is his agenda? I haven't a clue... the thing is she is not making any claim. She doesn't, she says she doesn't want anything. She's not making any claim, she just sees it as part of her job. She's not making any claim whatsoever to the money. I feel personally that it is something that needs to be clarified. He is claiming credit for something he did not do and that is wrong. That is dishonest and it stinks.
Waight says her sister has no interest in claiming the reward.