A Haitian mother and daughter were yesterday fined $30,000 each after they admitted, in a city court, to entering Guyana illegally from Brazil.
Shirley Augustine, 38, and Nerly Augustine, 20, were read separate charges, which stated that on December 4, 2015, at Lethem, they entered Guyana by crossing a land frontier and failing to present themselves to the nearest immigration officer.
After pleading guilty, Nerly told the court that she and her mother had visited the passport office in Georgetown after being referred there by the Foreign Affairs Ministry. The young woman, who indicated she is a radiology student, said she had studied for three years in Brazil prior to travelling to Guyana to continue studies.
Prosecutor Deniro Jones stated that Nerly was the holder of a Haitian passport, which bore no entry stamp. He said Shirley claimed to have lost her passport on the same day they entered Guyana.
The investigative rank related to the court that an application would be made to immigration to have the two deported.
The defendants were ordered to pay a fine of $30,000 each by Chief Magistrate Ann McLennan, or face four weeks’ imprisonment.