A Brazilian national, said to be a part owner of a restaurant here, was yesterday charged with presenting a forged Guyanese birth certificate to an immigration officer.
With the aid of a translator, Bendita De Rocha, 52, was read a charge which stated that on August 30, at the Central Immigration and Passport Office, with intent to defraud, she uttered a forged Guyanese birth certificate in favour of herself, purporting to show same was issued by the General Register Office, to immigration officer Kevin King.
De Rocha, who has lived in Guyana for about 10 years and resides at 150 Sixth Street, Alberttown, denied the charge.
According to Police Prosecutor Arvin Moore, De Rocha went to the immigration authority and presented the document knowing for a fact that she did not make an application to the relevant authority to obtain the document. He added that she met someone, who was named, at her restaurant and he told her that he would get the document for her.
Moore noted that there are additional investigations pending into a national ID card obtained by de Rocha in a similar manner.
He then objected to bail being granted, while also citing the fact that she is not a Guyanese national.
The court heard, however, that her husband is in fact a citizen of Guyana.
Subsequently, De Rocha was granted her release on $150,000 bail. She was ordered to report every Friday to Corporal Cornelius at the Criminal Investigation Department or the officer-in-charge of fraud. She is slated to make her next court appearance on September 13 before Georgetown Magistrate Fabayo Azore.
