Of course most of the media's time with Minister Hulse today was spent asking him about the visa scandal. Hulse obliged and read the number of Chinese Visas officially issued for 2013. It's only 476 total, a fractional percentage of the 800 plus thousand persons who have visited Belize in 2013. The number is underwhelming, and he said that exonerates the department from any allegation of mass visa issuances. But, still, some questions linger:
Hon. Godwin Hulse - Minister of Immigration
"Let's get the visa thing clear. You saw that I presented a visa report, 476 Chinese. 4,175 over all visa, from 800,000+ visitor, it's not significant. Every single visa has to get the approval of the director. Now, it will have to go, not only to the director, but to a committee for further insurance. That is to relieve her, and at the same time to support her."
Jules Vasquez
"Are you able to say that if indeed, as claimed 200 visas were issued within a very tight time frame of 3 months?"
Hon. Godwin Hulse
"Well, the record does not show that."
Jules Vasquez
"Would you speak particularly with the Chinese?"
Hon. Godwin Hulse
"Yes, I can tell. You want the numbers?"
Jules Vasquez
"Please."
Hon. Godwin Hulse
"January, 71, February, 75, March, 20, April, 24, May, 80, June, 80, July, 28, August, 61, September, 38, October, 4.
Mike Rudon - Channel 5 News
"How many of those - 400+ - were recommended by UDP Ministers, functionaries."
Hon. Godwin Hulse
"I wasn't looking at that. I was looking at visas issued to Chinese that the Director issue. I haven't seen - all those lists that are appearing everywhere, we haven't looked at, at all. You have documents and showing lists showing 200-300, I am telling you 38 issued, 61 issued, 23 was issue, 80 was issued, 80 was issued. It means the rest were rejected. That is how the system works."
Mike Rudon
"We have receipts for all of them as well, receipt numbers, the numbers for all of them that went in, that were approved."
Hon. Godwin Hulse
"That may be fine, but these are the numbers so, if you have receipt numbers and so forth for things beyond the figures we have here, I would be happy to see them, my friend, because that means that something went wrong. But I have to go by the figures given to us."
Mike Rudon
"This is why - you've said that there's been no investigation into any of those lists or - isn't there some concern to just, even if it is just to exonorate the ministry and say, 'You know what, if we have documents for 150 or 200, that were signed, and all of them were recommended by UDP functionaries, by ministers of Government. Isn't there some concern at some point, that, you know what we might want to check into this, at least, if only to exonerate the Ministry?"
Hon. Godwin Hulse
"Your guess is as good as mine. The Auditor General will do that. Why would I want to do that? My concern is to make sure that every visa that is issued by that department, was issued legitimately, the fee was paid, the person satisfied the requirements, done, because that's the person coming to Belize. If somebody said, 'Bring this one, and that one.' I could also tell you lots of names of people who have been requesting and requesting visas, and they have been refused. Now, if you tell me that somebody was refused, you have the evidence that they were refused, but they wound up getting the visa, oh yes, I'd launch it right now. My concern, and let it be very clear, is that if you can show me that the Minister recommended 40, as you say. Those were rejected by the Department, but the persons wound up with visas, or wound up coming into Belize. That's a different story. I'd take it up right now, but if he recommended 100 - I go by what the Director, who is the person issuing visas is responsible for."
Jules Vasquez
"But, however, I don't want to cast imputations on the Director - I don't know the person, but might there be, as we have alluded to earlier, a parallel system where visas are issued through the front, and those are the ones you have on that paper, but there is a back door, that you can also get your visa, and this is arranged x,y, and z way, and you check with me later."
Hon. Godwin Hulse
"Well, let me tell you something, Jules, if I ever find that out, and that's what the Auditor may find out. That's why they are auditing; I am not auditing. If I ever find that out, you will see how I deal with that because that is totally, completely, unequivocally unacceptable, wrong and fraudulent."
Jules Vasquez
"But until we have the serial number of every visa accounted for, we don't know."
Hon. Godwin Hulse
"Exactly, and that's what the auditor is doing."
The total paid to the Immigration Department for Chinese visas in 2013 is 975 thousand dollars out of a total revenue for visas of 1.2 million dollars.
