PM Briceño on Immigration Officers Accused of Theft

In an interview with PLUS TV in Belmopan on Thursday, Prime Minister John Briceño said, “What has happened, as we all know, the Jamaican national has made an accusation, and the police have reviewed the tape, and they believe that they have enough information or evidence to be able to do a full-fledged investigation.” 

As News Five reported, a Jamaican national lodged an allegation against an immigration officer at the Philip Goldson International Airport. The Jamaican national is accusing the immigration officer of stealing several thousand U.S. dollars from them. 

Chief Executive Officer Tanya Santos of the Ministry of Immigration said that, despite earlier social media reports, only one officer has been apprehended for interrogation.

In the interview, PM Briceño, who is also the Minister of Immigration, said, “I’m told that the Jamaican was, and I can’t go into too many details, but basically passed over monies, and then when he tried to leave the country, he was told he can’t leave the country, and so then he got upset and made this report.” 

Briceño stressed that this sort of behaviour cannot be countenanced and that “it needs to end now, and we need to find a way to get rid of all of those people that behave in such a manner.”