A husband and wife found themselves appearing before City Magistrate Judy Latchman after they were taken off a Fly Jamaica Airlines flight because their passports had fake Canadian visas.
Pakaj Kumar Patel, 24, and his wife, Roshini Benn Patel, 32, both business owners, initially denied that on February 22, 2018, at the Cheddi Jagan International Airport (CJIA), Timehri, and with intent to defraud, they uttered to Customer Service Representative Lorisa Lewis Primo forged Canadian visas inserted into their Republic of Indian passports purporting to show that same were issued by the Government of Canada when they knew that to be false.
Attorney for the defendants, Adrian Thompson, said his clients had no intention of using forged documents. However, following consultations, Magistrate Latchman re-read the charges to the defendants, and they pleaded guilty.
According to Police Prosecutor Arvin Moore, the couple was staying with a family member at Fifth Street, Alberttown, Georgetown. After spending a month in Guyana, they attempted to leave for Canadian, but were subsequently taken off the flight, which they had already boarded.
They were told that the visas being used were forged, and they were taken to the Criminal Investigation Department (CID), where they were told of the offence they had committed and were charged.
The Patels were each fined $100,000, failing to pay which would result in a 12-month prison sentence.
