Senator Dennison says unions will not shield public officers involved in wrongdoing 

Union Senator Glenfield Dennison is warning public officers that the unions will not provide refuge to anyone found to have participated in wrongdoing or helped cover up questionable activities at the Ministry of Defence.  His warning follows an exclusive Love News report this week in which Auditor General Maria Rodriguez confirmed that additional names have surfaced in the ongoing Defence Ministry audit. She declined to identify those individuals or discuss the preliminary findings while the investigation remains underway.  Dennison says public officers are obligated to protect public funds and follow established procedures. He says anyone who knowingly participated in wrongdoing should not expect union support to shield them from accountability.

Glenfield Dennison, Union Senator: “The Ministry of the Friends Procurement scandal cannot be swept under the rug because it is showing us the weakness in our procurement system. And so it doesn’t matter if we double or triple the budgets, if the leakages don’t stop monies will not be available for people of Belize to have in their pockets. The taxes don’t need to be raised if we are using the monies efficiently. Everybody here has a BDF in their family. Everybody. Ask them to send you a picture of the food they’re eating and you post ti on Whatsapp and Facebook and Instagram and show me where the baby back ribs are. Where the lobster is ? Where the jumbo shrimp is. Anyone of you please, when any of your family members have jumbo shrimp and baby back ribs in their plate send it to me because I really want to see it because I’ve never seen a BDF eat those things. So where did the money go ? Now I’m not stopping at just BDF you know ? Because it wasn’t only there it was. So the Senator for the unions is saying to public servants if you are doing things out there that you’re not supposed to be doing, don’t come shelter under your union when you get due process and you get fired you know ? Public officers, stand on your integrity and report these things.”

Dennison also referred to the name of Cabinet Secretary Stuart Leslie reportedly appearing in connection with a company in which he is listed as a director. That company reportedly benefited from a contract awarded by the Ministry of Defence. Dennison says the reported connection must be fully examined as part of the ongoing audit.

Glenfield Dennison, Union Senator: “The Cabinet Secretary my brother what is wrong with you ? My brother you took, for those who don’t know, the Cabinet Secretary used to be the permanent secretary of permanent secretaries. He was the top of the top, the dan dadda because he was the brightest of the bright and the best of the best. He would have never had his hand caught in the cookie jar, or is it the spice jar ? He would have never had his hand caught in the spice jar and get caught lying about it. Then lie about it. You took God out of your thoughts and weren’t honest with the people. The media houses have these things have these things to show it back when you lie. See what they did with him ? They showed juxtaposed his position and the leaks they come so you can’t say it’s not you that owns the company. This is your shareholding, you can’t lie. Don’t like to the media they will bring those things back on you. So RSL. If you got any semblance of integrity, brother, resign. Just resign because you don’t belong there. That is my same thing that I said to Mark you know. He needs to do the honorable thing and resign and get no benefits. Go directly home, do not pass Go, do not collect your pension, do not collect $200, just go home.”

.The Auditor General’s team hopes to complete the audit by the end of September. Its final findings will determine whether any matters should be referred to the police for criminal investigation.