The son of Cabinet Secretary Carlos Perdomo could be working abroad; he hasn’t repaid a penny of his loan. Yet, according to PM Barrow, the write-off has the recommendation of Cabinet.

BELMOPAN, Thurs. Aug. 22, 2019– At Friday’s sitting of the House of Representatives, Prime Minister Dean Barrow introduced a motion to write off $40,574.88 that was owed to the government by Joshua Perdomo, a son of Cabinet Secretary Carlos Perdomo.

The younger Perdomo was granted study leave to pursue a Master’s Degree in Forensic Genetics, and when he did not return to take up his duties and honor his three-year bond obligation to the government, “his service was terminated on September 1, 2011,” Barrow told the House in his introduction to the motion to write off Perdomo’s debt to the government.

“…and whereas the Solicitor General has advised that Mr. Perdomo would do monthly payments of one thousand until payment was made in full, but to date, no payment has been made and efforts to locate him have proven futile,” stated Barrow.

“…Now therefore be it resolved that this honorable House approve the write-off of forty thousand, four hundred and seventy-four dollars and eighty-eight cents as a loss to the Government of Belize. This motion has the recommendation of the Cabinet,” Barrow told the House.

Now the way the PM framed his write-off statement to the House is most interesting. The Prime Minister has met with Joshua’s father at least once a week for years, and it is hard to believe that Cabinet Secretary Perdomo does not know the whereabouts of his son, especially since he is qualified in the forensic field, in which only a relatively small number of persons are employed.

KREM News did a little research and reported the following: “A search on the internet reveals that a Joshua Perdomo is licensed by the Texas Forensic Science Commission as a Forensic Analyst. His status is current, as his license was issued on December 12, 2018, and expires on December 12 next year. The site posts as his employment Southwestern Institute of Forensic Sciences.”

The Belize Youth Movement (BYM), an arm of the Opposition People’s United Party, issued a press release that was critical of the government’s write off for Perdomo.

“This $40,000.00 write-off further highlights the rampant corruption and nepotism that is rotting at the core of this administration. This UDP government has failed the Belizean youth while they struggle to further their education. BYM demands the immediate retraction of this write-off.”

BYM ended it release saying, “We are tired of the lies, tired of the nepotism and most importantly, we are tired of the corruption. WE DEMAND BETTER!”