Opposition Leader calls for due process following John Saldivar’s U.S. designation for involvement in significant corruption

By Aaron Humes: This evening Leader of the Opposition Moses “Shyne” Barrow announced he would have to look further into today’s announcement of John Saldivar being designated by the U.S. State Department for alleged acts of “significant corruption.”

In a statement, Barrow said, “We treat very [seriously] the allegations of corruption being made by the U.S. State Department against former Minister John Saldivar. Notwithstanding our zero tolerance of corruption by public officials, we must be guided by the fundamental principles of due process and in the Belize Judicial system all are innocent until proven guilty.”

Barrow said the party would hear from Saldivar “the accused” as well as the facts presented by the State Department as it determined the way forward.

He added that the party would be implementing “our anti-corruption policy in a fair and just manner demonstrating to the Nation we have zero tolerance for corruption.” However, it was not immediately clear if it meant internal controls or a wider anti-corruption effort in the country.

Saldivar was specifically targeted on allegations that he “accepted bribes for the improper acquisition of Belizean immigration documents and interfered in public processes for his personal benefit during his tenure as a government official,” and further that there is credible information that Saldivar also “misused a U.S.-donated Coast Guard boat for his personal gain.”

Though the latter allegation is not specific as to when the incident happened, our colleagues at KREM News say that during the reporting on the Lev Dermen case, it “emerged that Saldivar took Dermen and crew on at least one caye trip using a coast guard vessel.” Saldivar has admitted accepting money for campaign finance contributions from Dermen through his partner Jacob Kingston, not knowing, he claimed, that the men were defrauding the U.S. Government in a renewable energy scheme based in Utah, for which they would both be convicted. KREM also reports that during that same case, it came to light that Saldivar insisted on Dermen being appointed as Honorary Consul of Belize to Las Vegas even after the US objected to the appointment.

The former Government Minister has been slowly making his way back into the public domain through renewed involvement in political activity since being forced to resign as UDP leader in February of 2020 in the wake of the Dermen affair. The designation comes under the Foreign Operations and Related Programs Appropriations Act, 2022 [Section 7031 (c)] which provides for private or public designations. It’s also part of the Biden Administration’s announced priority of countering corruption globally regardless of anyone’s position or political affiliation. It is the very first time that a Belize official has been designated under Section 7031(c).

Saldivar has since reacted calling the actions baseless and malicious. He affirms that he was not afforded due process and was not contacted or evidence provided to him. Saldivar has also said he is consulting local attorneys though he is fully cognizant that he will need a US attorney to “fight this in the United States if I so wish.”

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