Cuban granted $200,000 bail for alleged immigration offences

A Cuban national was yesterday granted $200,000 bail after she was accused of conspiring with others to forge an Immigration extension stamp and uttering a forged Immigration service stamp.

Through a translator, Barbara Delavera heard that she, between February 6 and June 21, at Georgetown, conspired with a person or persons, to forge an Immigration Extension of Stay stamp, inserted on page seven of her Republic of Cuba Passport, purporting to show same was issued by the Central Immigration and Passport Office.

It is further alleged that, on June 21, at the Central Immigration and Passport Office, Georgetown, Delavera, with intent to defraud, uttered to Constable Rice, an Immigration Officer, her Cuban passport with a forged Guyana Immigration Service Extension of Stay stamp.

The Cuban national, who resides in Alberttown, pleaded not guilty to both charges.

Attorney Paul Fung-A-Fat, who represented the 28-year-old, told the court that his client has a ticket for a month’s stay in the country. He added that the accused has been staying with a friend and that they only found out that the stamp was fake when they would have visited the passport office. According to the attorney, US$300 was paid to a Cuban National to go to the Immigration Office and obtain an extension of stay stamp.

Fung-A-Fat requested that bail be granted to Delavera.

As a result, Magistrate Sunil Scarce granted the defendant $100,000 bail on each charge, and adjourned the matter to July 7.