Two official sources have confirmed to Amandala that as of Monday, November 22, Immigration Director Gareth Murillo will no longer hold that position, and instead, Transport Commissioner Ruth Meighan will swap positions with him.
Minister of Immigration and National Security Carlos Perdomo told Amandala on Thursday that the decision was precipitated by recent allegations of wrongdoing in the Immigration Department, though Murillo himself is not being accused of any wrongdoing, the minister told us.
Minister with responsibility for Transport, Melvin Hulse, told Amandala, when we asked him to explain the reason for the swap between Immigration and Transport, said that the allegations against Immigration, including the recent covert landing of planes containing immigrants (the subject of a recent scandal in the department) and “people pointing fingers” at officials is one reason behind the move.
Hulse said that Meighan has vast experience in the public service and he believes she is well-suited for the job.
Hulse also told Amandala categorically that Murillo is not suspected of any wrongdoing.
He told our newspaper that Government decided to swap the positions of Murillo and Meighan in this week’s Cabinet session.
According to Perdomo, while there are also going to be internal changes at The Immigration Department, Murillo is the only person being moved out of the Department at this time.
The second in command at Immigration, said Perdomo, is Maria Marin.