Tonight the UDP may be at its lowest low - its former party leader and former Minister of National Security John Saldivar has been designated by the US State Department as involved in "significant corruption" while he was in office.
In an extraordinary public declaration issued this afternoon, Saldivar becomes the first Belizean official to be named as "significantly corrupt" by the US. As a consequence of this he and his immediate family have been barred entry to the United States indefinitely.
What triggered it? Well, Saldivar has a well publicized history of relationships with criminal characters - principally Danny Mason and Lev Dermen. The US says he abused Coast Guard vessels and took bribes for the improper acquisition of Belizean Immigration documents - which may go way back to the immigration scandal of 2013 when UDP Ministers were found to be making recommendations for Asians seeking visas.
Tonight to re-visit the Lev Dermen angle of the Saldivar saga and its consequences - Jules Vasquez updates the story he first did in February of 2020 - after the Dermen revelations forced Saldivar to step down as UDP Leader:
Throughout the Lev Dermen ordeal, perhaps what has been the most amazing is John Saldivar's insistence that he did nothing wrong with Jacob Kingston or Lev Dermen.
Jules Vasquez, reporter
"Do you look to Utah next week with anxiety?"
Hon. John Saldivar, UDP Leader Elect - Feb 09
"No, not at all, I know that there's nothing that's gonna come form that that's gonna affect me in any negative way."
How wrong he knew he was - in less than 72 hours, John Saldivar went from the political pinnacle to the political dumpster.
And his demise was cemented with the release of these text messages with Jacob Kingston. Saldivar - on his known cell phone number - is seen to ask Jacob Kingston to send 50 thousand US dollars to Miami for him to pick up. Saldivar tells Kingston he is, quote "out of cash" and, quote, "Really need(s) the February tranche". He declined a wire transfer - which leaves a paper trail, saying, "Hmmm. Not sure that's a good idea." Saldivar says he could fly to Miami to pick it up. How much? Well "the usual" as he refers to it is 25k monthly, but Saldivar asked for the March disbursement at the same time. One has to ask, with such regular monthly payments, what was Lev Dermen and his associate buying or paying for? Saldivar says nothing.
For sure the business they were doing needed no invoice and no receipt, just a casual "Nuff thanks," for a hundred grand delivered to Miami, with love from Utah. Perhaps that casual rejoinder is an illustration of how commonplace it was, perhaps not.
Hon. Patrick Faber, UDP Area Rep
"Saldivar is a fighter and is one who keeps coming back."
But, to come back from this, cash money political fundraising in plain view, and possibly money laundering laid bare, will be difficult, if not impossible. But he came back from a convention defeat in 2010, and 2016, still to gain the greatest heights in the UDP political pantheon - even with a very dark cloud directly above his head - a feat of unmatched daring, not to be underestimated. But now that he has gone from victor to vapor in less than 72 hours, it will be interesting to see if Saldivar stages another comeback.
The man of many comebacks - probably can't come back from this one.
His designation as a "significantly corrupt" public official now seems to resolutely end any possibility that he can be viewed as a politically viable candidate.
The fact sheet on his designation says it is "due to his involvement in significant corruption. This designation renders Saldivar and his immediate family members generally ineligible for entry into the United States." The document later adds the names of these family members - and includes his child who is just a minor.
The opening paragraph says, bluntly, "Saldivar accepted bribes in exchange for improperly facilitating the acquisition of Belizean immigration documents and interfered in public processes for personal gain."
Later on it adds that he "misused a U.S.-donated Coast Guard boat for his personal gain." That, of course, was his famous boat ride with Lev Dermen - which in an audio clip ascribed to Saldivar, he is heard to refer to it casually:
John Saldivar
"Now I understand why when Lev mi come da Belize, when I take Lev on the Coast Guard Boat, I take Lev and all of these Mormons pan wa fishing trip out deh eena the coast guard boast and so... that is how he was, according to Jacob, asserting that, hey, yuh listen to me or else you could get F* because I have friends all over the world, my network of F powerful people... That's how my name come to be mentioned. Da soh I di get the 25 thousand dollars every month. That's how my name come into it. Me get lotta F money from Lev."
Of course, there was also the time Saldivar used a coast Gard vessel to transport his football team:
News Anchor
"The US Government donated the vessels under very strict terms and sources tell us that the Americans have complained to Foreign Affairs about the alleged abuses.
The allegation, made first in the Belize Times last week is that the Coast Guard vessels were used to transport team members, management, family members and friends to San Pedro, whenever the Bandits have games scheduled on the island.
So, what is the US Embassy's specific interest? Well, the Boston Whalers which the US Embassy donated to the Coast Guard from as early as 2012 are allegedly among these vessels being used for the football friends and family ferry service."
But that was back in 2017, so, why now? The Fact Sheet from the State Department says it, quote, "obtained credible information regarding Saldivar's involvement in significant corruption while serving as a Belizean minister. "
In any rational political landscape, this would immediately force Saldivar to retreat indefinitely from the political foreground and any hope of offering himself as a candidate. But in the upside down world of the UDP - the rules of political logic do not apply. Fact is, Saldivar is Shyne Barrow's principal political ally, and in some sense, his protector.
Shyne Barrow, UDP Leader
"And this man right here is a man of the people, is a man of utmost humility, is a dedicated servant."
So now we have to wait and see where Barrow goes next, whether he will distance himself and force Saldivar to stand down from offering himself as candidate, or if he will keep him around and himself risk angering the US State Department.
