A Venezuelan national was fined $30,000 after he admitted to illegally entering Guyana.
Manuel Bedia, 49, admitted through an interpreter that he entered the country without the consent of an immigration officer.
During his appearance at the George-town Magistrate’s Courts, there was a back and forth between Bedia and a Spanish interpreter before the court found out that he was speaking Portuguese and not Spanish.
A visibly scared Bedia, when asked by Chief Magistrate Priya-Sewnarine Beharry if he spoke English, shook his head and said yes. He was then told the offence carries $30,000 or a 12-month-long prison sentence. When asked whether he was guilty, Bedia was unable to answer.
After a back and forth with the court’s interpreter, the man eventually pleaded guilty and he was fined $30,000.
