Fonseca says it’s ludicrous for Immigration Department to be investigating itself

Francis Fonseca

P.U.P. Leader Francis Fonseca told us that he has a team ready to go to work collecting signatures, but he decided as a courtesy to give Penner a chance to do the right thing. In the meantime, Fonseca is applying pressure in another quarter. Today, P.U.P. Senator Lisa Shoman called for a Senate inquiry into the immigration scandal. Fonseca says that it is ludicrous for the Immigration Department to be investigating itself and it is time for an independent and impartial body to step in.

Francis Fonseca, P.U.P. Leader

“The Senate met in Belmopan today and our senator, Senator Lisa Shoman called at that meeting on the Senate in accordance with the powers of the Senate and in accordance with the constitution of Belize…I think it’s section sixty-one Two (A) D of the Constitution of Belize which gives the Senate the power and authority to carry out any enquiry or any investigation into any matter of national importance, any matter of public interest. And certainly this qualifies very easily as a matter of the utmost national importance. So Senator Lisa Shoman led that call in the Senate today calling on the Senate to approve such an enquiry and such an investigation.  I believe we need to carry out an impartial investigation. We cannot have the immigration department investigating itself. Clearly in my view there were breaches of the law, but it is not for any politician in Belize…and I don’t think we ever want to reach that day – when any politician is determining what is criminal or what is not criminal. We have a process in place. We have institutions within the governance of our country which are responsible for bringing criminal action, that are responsible for investigating any alleged criminal activity and we certainly hope that they will do their job. It is the responsibility of the state to ensure that these institutions are working, that they are doing their job. We have an independent office of the director of Public Prosecutions. Certainly I have confidence that that office, if they believe that criminal activity took place…that they will act in respect of that. And certainly, as many people have been calling, the Belize Police Department certainly, if there is evidence of criminal activity they have an important responsibility to look into that.”

We understand that the matter was raised in the Senate today, but it wasn’t put to a vote. It is expected that that will be on the table at the next sitting of the Senate.

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