By Belize Live News Staff: The man at the centre of the Immigration Department theft investigation is an ex-employee, an ocean away, and, if the Minister is right, one audit away from facing charges.
Immigration and Labour Minister Kareem Musa delivered the update on the case of Jason Flowers, the immigration cashier wanted by police for questioning over a major theft at the department, in response to a question from reporter Jomarie Lanza, and the developments came in quick succession.
First, the whereabouts. “We have information that he is currently in the United States of America,” Musa revealed, meaning the subject of the police warning poster is beyond Belize’s borders.
Second, the job. Flowers has been dismissed as an immigration cashier and is no longer employed by the Government of Belize.
Third, the evidence. The internal investigation is complete, Musa said, triggered when the Ministry’s finance officer gave a statement to police, which in turn prompted the wanted poster. And the paper trail, according to the Minister, already speaks: “We have enough information to charge him based on some of the invoices, some of the canceled, reversed invoices.”
What remains is the full accounting, and Musa is not leaving that to guesswork. The Auditor General’s Department has been called in and is already working inside the Ministry. “We want to get it right out of the gate,” the Minister said, promising that the audit’s conclusion will surface “every single invoice that was reversed by him and/or others taking part in this scheme,” at which point, in his words, “we’ll be able to levy all the charges.”
Those two words, “or others,” may prove the most consequential of the interview. A scheme built on reversed invoices inside a government cashier’s office invites the obvious question of whether one person operated alone, and the audit’s answer will determine how wide this story grows.
The necessary caution: Flowers is wanted for questioning, not charged, the Minister’s account represents the government’s side, and Flowers, who has not publicly responded, holds the presumption of innocence unless a court one day rules otherwise. Getting him before that court, if charges come while he remains in the United States, is a bridge authorities have yet to cross publicly.
For a public watching audit season unfold across government, from defence procurement to prison water, the Immigration Ministry now joins the list of places where the Auditor General’s people are turning pages. The reversed invoices are being counted. The charges, the Minister promises, will follow.
What do you think, Belize, will this case reach a courtroom? Let us know in the comments.
