Passport Office in Belize City remained closedA number of concerns have been raised by Belize City residents since the processing of passport applications was transferred to Belmopan a few weeks ago. The move by the Immigration and Nationality Department comes in the aftermath of a recent passport scandal involving suspected members of the Islamic militant group, Hezbollah. In an attempt to meticulously supervise the process, production of passports has been relocated to the capital city. Among the concerns raised is the duration of the process. It has been disclosed that the processing in the City office had been compromised by someone working there who was facilitating irregular applications. There are no details at this time of how deep and extensive the irregularities have been. But News Five understands that an extension from twelve days to approximately three weeks has been implemented for standard passport processing and that emergency cases can also only be dealt with Belmopan. Expediting the process, in the event of an emergency, can only be done in Belmopan. Meanwhile, Senior Immigration Officer Gilroy Guzman, we are told, remains on probation pending a decision whether or not he will be transferred to another government department or terminated from his post. The passport scandal involving Justin George Abdalah Elders and Yasser Safa, Belizeans of Lebanese descent, believed to be linked to Hezbollah, was unraveled in September, following reports from U.S. intelligence that both men were being pursued as part of a group of terrorists. It was subsequently confirmed that Guzman, in his capacity as acting supervisor, approved the issuance of a Belizean passport to Rafik Mohammed Labboun Allaboun, another suspected terrorist, who was nabbed in Merida during a police raid. Allaboun obtained an official travel document from the Immigration Department without valid proof of a Belizean social security card or voter's identification.
Channel 5