A Dominican Republic national, charged with forging four immigration stamps and presenting her passport with them to an Immigration Officer, was yesterday remanded to prison after denying the charge.
“I didn’t know the stamps were fake,” Doris Vasquez Santana said, with the aid of a translator, when she appeared before Magistrate Judy Latchman in Georgetown.
The first charge read against her stated that between January 6, 2017 and February 13, 2017, at Georgetown, with intent to defraud, she conspired with a person or persons to forge four Guyana Immigration stamps in her Dominican Republic Passport that purported to show same was issued by the Guyana Immigra-tion Department.
It is further alleged that on February 13, at Camp Road, she uttered to Shawna Morrison, Woman Police Constable 20242, an Immigration Officer, a Dominican Republic passport in favour of herself with the four forged Immigration stamps endorsed, purporting to show same was issued by the Guyana Immigration Department.
Santana, 36, pleaded guilty to the charge but then explained to the court that she presented her passport to immigration, paid but did not know that the stamps were fake.
Because of her explanation, a not guilty plea was entered by the magistrate.
When asked why she came to Guyana, Santana, who stayed at Lot 7 Banks Housing Scheme, told the court that she was looking for work.
Police prosecutor Shawn Gonsalves objected to bail being granted to Santana, while stating that because she is not a Guyanese she may flee the jurisdiction if she were to be granted bail.
As a result, she was remanded to prison and the case was adjourned until February 21.
