There's a case of suspected embezzlement at the Immigration Department Belize City office, and sources tell us that at least one immigration officer is under suspicion for the possible theft of tens of thousands of dollars. How much? Well possibly more than $150,000 thousand dollars in a daring scheme involving receipt reversals.
How did it work? Well, simple: a citizen or visitor goes to the Immigration office to pay $500 cash for a service. The officer accepts the cash, enters the transaction into the system, and prints a legitimate receipt for the customer. After the customer leaves with their receipt, the officer goes back into the system and cancels that specific transaction. As a result, the system records that the $500 was never actually collected, and the officer can simply pocket the cash.
A statement today from the Ministry of Immigration more or less confirms missing monies. It says the ministry has launched internal reviews into reports of possible embezzlement at the Belize City Immigration Office.
Reports tell us that an initial assessment shows over 800 reversed receipts netted the beneficiaries working inside the offices a six-figure haul. So far 150 thousand dollars is the figure that's been arrived up in a preliminary review that only goes back to February of 2025.
Sources tell us that to properly assess the scope of the scheme, the Ministry may have to commission an official audit.
In the statement today, the Ministry also reported that two nationality certificates are missing from the Belmopan office and says a formal police report will be made this week, although it is still unclear whether the documents were misprinted, lost, or stolen.
