Saturday, July 4th, 2015. Aaron Humes Reporting: Elsewhere we have covered the sudden discontinuance of Minister of State Edmond Castro’s defamation case against Alvarene Burgess and Great Belize Productions/Television (Channel 5). 
Yesterday the television station released a statement, which stated, “Great Belize Productions/Channel Five believes that it has been vindicated in this high profile case because while public figures have a right to safeguard their reputations, they should expect to be subject to a greater degree of public scrutiny and criticism.
But more importantly, the public has a right to be informed and the media has a responsibility to be vigilant and expose corruption.
It is also a huge victory for whistleblowers who bravely expose wrongdoings by public officials, thereby holding those public officials to account and strengthening our democracy.”
The station reminded that Castro “made a number of admissions including that his office was used to recommend visas to Chinese nationals whom he did not know.
Burgess, the whistleblower, who made the claim against Castro, was unflinching in her testimony claiming how she visited Castro’s office to obtain visa recommendations from Castro for which Castro collected up to $2,000 each.”