Today, rumor surfaced that the Belize Police Department, specifically, the Belmopan police, had obtained a warrant to search the home of attorney Arthur Saldivar, the PUP political aspirant for Belize Rural North, who has been releasing documents to the media which are purported to be evidence of widespread corruption at the Passport and Immigration Departments.
It is believed that the search would have been an effort to get hold of the files, which Saldivar says he has in his possession.
Since Monday of this week, Saldivar had embarked on a two-day series of “revelations” of suspect Immigration and Nationality files, some of which he said are from a total of about 150, which he and his so-called “associates” had allegedly come upon as they were about to be destroyed.
Saldivar told the press that former Cabinet Minister Elvin Penner had signed all the documents, which had various abnormalities, thereby implicating Penner in extensive cases of wrongdoing.
Saldivar demanded a full closure of both the Immigration and Nationality Departments in order for a criminal investigation to be carried out, or else he threatened to release one of the documents every day until the investigation happened.
According to Saldivar, the files, some of which are apparently original copies, are proof of rank corruption and misconduct within the Immigration and Nationality Departments.
On Tuesday, it was learned that the Nationality section of the Passport and Immigration Department had been forced to close down for two weeks, but by that time, Saldivar had already released another two of the “suspect” documents.
The disclosures caused the Senator and Minister of Immigration, Hon. Godwin Hulse, during a call to the WUB Morning Vibes this morning, to call for the “whistleblower” to surrender all the documentation in his possession to the police.
Amandala understands that there was some handing over of files sometime today, but it was not to Belizean authorities. Saldivar did not divulge exactly which foreign agents he is dealing with, and only described them as “international parties” who have interest in this matter, presumably US authorities.
Saldivar said that he had done this because he could no longer “walk around” with files that the Government wants, and also, since he is now being targeted, he did not present any of the documents to the media today, but noted that he had made copies of all the files that he had relinquished.
If the warrant happens to be for his arrest as well, Saldivar conceded that he would require the backing of his party, the Opposition PUP.