Date: July 23, 2026
A former cashier with Belize’s Ministry of Immigration remains a fugitive Thursday, as law enforcement and independent auditors expand an investigation into a suspected public fund embezzlement scheme tied to the Belize City Immigration Office that has left more than $160,000 in government funds unaccounted for.
Investigators have named 46-year-old Jason Flowers, who was terminated from his government post amid the probe, as the central suspect in the scam. Authorities allege Flowers systematically processed reversed payment receipts for immigration services, siphoning off cash payments from applicants into his personal bank accounts over an undetermined period of time.
Immigration Minister Kareem Musa confirmed to reporters on Wednesday that the Ministry of Immigration has completed its initial internal investigation into the missing funds. The ministry’s own finance department compiled evidence of suspicious activity, which was passed to local law enforcement and prompted the official issuance of a wanted notice for Flowers.
According to intelligence gathered by Belizean authorities, Flowers is believed to have fled the country and is currently residing in the United States. “Mr. Flowers has been dismissed from his work as an immigration cashier. So, he is no longer in the employment of the government of Belize,” Musa told reporters during a press briefing. “We have enough information to charge him for some of the cancelled, reversed invoices. But in terms of the entire scope of the scheme he was operating, we have requested the Auditor General to come in and do a proper audit.”
Musa emphasized that the decision to bring in the independent Auditor General’s Office was intentional to ensure full transparency and a complete accounting of all potential misconduct. “We want to get it right out of the gate. So that will give us a full scope of it. I can confirm that the auditor general’s office is already at the ministry carrying out the investigation,” he added. Once the independent audit wraps up, investigators will compile a full list of all reversed invoices linked to Flowers and any potential co-conspirators, and all applicable criminal charges will be filed at that time.
In addition to the fraud investigation, the Ministry of Immigration has filed a notice with Interpol over two missing blank nationality certificates, which are critical identity documents. Authorities have not yet confirmed whether the missing documents are directly connected to the Flowers fraud scheme, but the dual developments have prompted renewed scrutiny of internal controls at Belize’s main immigration office.
This report is based on a transcript of a Belizean evening television news broadcast.