Four women, who were arrested during a raid at the Rio Night Club last Friday, were taken before a city magistrate yesterday, where they were read several charges, including forgery and overstaying their permitted time.
Chief Magistrate Ann McLennan read the separate charges to a Cuban national and three women from the Dominican Republic.
Visleini Ferrier, a national of the Dominican Republic (DR) was charged with conspiring to forge local arrival and departure stamps, along with a tourist visa in her DR passport, purporting to show same was issued by the Guyana Immigration Service.
The second charge against Ferrier stated that she failed to present herself to local immigration officials when she entered Guyana on November 12, 2016, at Springlands, Berbice.
Yasnely Boeza, a 29-year-old Cuban national was read a charge which stated that between December 30, 2016 and January 20, 2017 at Georgetown, having been permitted to stay in Guyana from November 29, 2016 to December 29, 2016 she overstayed the permitted period of time granted to her.
A second charge read to her stated that she forged a Guyana Immigration service arrival and departure stamps.
Similar charges were read to 32-year-old Carmen Garcia, and 33-year-old Minalie Montero, both nationals of the Dominican Republic.
While Carmen was granted permission to stay in Guyana from October 25, 2016 to November 25, 2016, and Montero was permitted to stay from October 11, 2016 to November 11, 2016, both women overstayed the time granted to them, and forged Guyana Immigration Service arrival and departure stamps.
Attorney Mark Waldron represented the four women.
Chief Magistrate McLennan fined each woman $50,000 for the forgery charge or a default sentence of six weeks imprisonment, and $30,000 for the overstaying charge or a default sentence of four weeks imprisonment.
The women are to be escorted to the nearest port of exit, subsequent to paying their fines, or serving the default sentences.
Meanwhile, Guyanese citizen Timothy St Hill, a taxi driver was charged with illegally entering the country.
The charge read by the Chief Magistrate stated that between January 15 and January 23, at Springlands, Corentyne he entered Guyana by sea, and did not present himself to the nearest Immigration officer.
St Hill, 35, pleaded guilty to the crime.
According to Police Prosecutor Neville Jeffers on January 23, the defendant was arrested for questioning in relation to armed robbery. While at the lockups, a check was made and it showed that he had left Guyana on January 15, through the Molson Creek Immigration Checkpoint, using passport R0792850, and never reported to Immigration upon his return, or presented his passport to the nearest police station.
When asked if he wished to say anything, the defendant told the court that he had left the country on January 15, for Suriname and had returned the following day. He added that while in Suriname his passport was stolen and he had failed to report its loss to Immigration when he arrived in Guyana.
St Hill was advised by the Chief Magistrate to report to the matter of his stolen passport to the police, before he was fined $15,000 or a default sentence of two weeks in jail.
