Acting Chief Magistrate Melissa Robertson granted $85,000 bail to an immigration officer accused of forging a passport application form, when he appeared at the Georgetown Magistrate’s Court last week Monday.

Twenty-three-year-old Telroie Griffith, of 11 Joint Service Housing Scheme pleaded not guilty to the charge of forgery.

It is alleged that between February 1 and 29, at the Central Immigration and Passport Office, Griffith with intent to defraud, forged a passport application form purporting to show that it was signed by Gerald Moses knowing same to have been forged.

In his defence, Griffith’s attorney Patrice Henry told the court that his client did not forge the document rather; one of his colleagues had committed the offence. He said Griffith’s colleague is training for a senior post at the office and had asked his client to assist him in preparing the document. Henry also said that his client’s colleague had confessed to the police that he had indeed signed the document and not Griffith.

Further, Henry told the court that as a result of the incident, Griffith was placed on close arrest but was later released. He also noted that it was only a few days ago that the police had contacted Griffith and requested that he appear in court to answer to the offence. Henry then asked the court to grant bail to his client.

The prosecution did not object to bail, however; they told the court that the police had received no confession statement from the said colleague. They noted that the case file had been sent to the Director of Public Prosecution (DPP) for advice and as a result charges were instituted against Griffith.

Griffith was ordered to appear in court on February 1.