Today, November 9th, 2016, the Senate Special Select Committee first met in the Committee Room of the National Assembly of Belize in Belmopan, to deliberate before it started with it’s public hearing in the Chamber of the National Assembly.
Appearing before the Committee was Mrs. Dorothy Bradley, Auditor General. Before the Auditor General responded to the questions of the Committee, she sought the Committee’s permission to make a public statement to the nation in regards to the erroneous publication of the name of the Honourable Speaker that was included in the findings of the Auditor General’s Special Visa and other findings Report on the Immigration and Nationality Department for period 2011-2013. She apologized to the Speaker of the House of Representative, the Honourable Michael Peyrefitte, for alleging that he had no authority to make recommendations in the application of passport. She quoted Section 56 (2) of the Belize Constitution Chapter 4, which states “If any person who is not a member of the House of Representatives is elected to be Speaker of the House he shall, by virtue of the holding of the office of Speaker, be a member of the House in addition to the thirty-one members aforesaid.”
Thereafter, she further stated that she stand by everything else mentioned in her report.
Present at the Meeting were Chairman- Senator Aldo Salazar, Senator Carla Barnett, Senator Eamon Courtenay, Senator Elena Smith, and Senator Ashley Rocke, and Senator Markhelm Lizarraga.
The Meeting began at 9:10 A.M and was adjourned at 12:10 P.M.
