Two men were yesterday each fined $60,000 after they both admitted to impersonating others to apply for passports.
The charges against Ryan Felix and Saesnarine Etwaroo stated that they made false statements, by signing written declarations at the Central Immigration and Passport Office that they never held nor previously applied for passports.
Magistrate Judy Latchman, who heard both cases at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts, was told that 30-year-old Felix, who is a baker and resides at 14 Pouderoyen, West Bank Demerara, signed falsely for the purpose of procuring a passport stating that he was Rayon Thomas on September 25th. The court heard from Prosecutor Kerry Bostwick that Felix went to the passport office and applied for a passport using a birth certificate in the name of Rayon Thomas.
After being questioned by immigration officials, it was discovered that Thomas was already the holder of a passport. At this point, Bostwick said, Felix admitted signing the false declaration.
His attorney Ronald Burch-Smith said that his client was sorry for his actions and begged the court for mercy.
Etwaroo, meanwhile, admitted to signing a declaration that he was Peter Persaud on July 22.
The prosecutor said that Etwaroo went to the passport office and he applied for the travel document in the name of Persaud, his cousin. Sometime after, however, Bostwick said that Etwaroo went back to the passport office to report that his passport was missing when it was discovered that he had only earlier before applied for one.
The court was told that an investigation was launched and it was discovered that the man had used his cousin’s birth certificate and biographic data to apply for the travel document. An unrepresented Etwaroo begged the court for mercy and apologised for his actions, while stating that he would never again do what he had done.
After hearing each case, Magistrate Latchman fined each man $60,000 with an alternative of 21 days in prison.
