Passports used by Dataram, wife not issued by CIO – source
The passports that were found in the possession of self-confessed drug lord, Barry Dataram and his reputed wife Anjanie Boodnarine upon their apprehension in Suriname were not issued by the Chief Immigration Office and as such are deemed bogus. This was confirmed by a Police source on Wednesday.
The illegal passports (Photos courtesy of Royston Drakes)
In addition, as investigations continue into the issuance of the passports, the Police have confirmed that at least one of the passports found on the couple was reported to have been stolen.
It was reported in sections of the media that while the passports might seem authentic from the outside, the information found on the bar code was totally different from the ones found on the information pages, hence they would have been flagged in any country once they were used. Also, the passport numbers are fake.
Reports are that the convicted drug dealer and his 21-year-old reputed wife went to Suriname through the backtrack route but had the passports in their possession since it was their intention to travel beyond the Dutch speaking country.
Although the passports are bogus, the Guyana Police Force confirmed that they are identical to the present ones issued by the Chief Immigration Office, which is definitely a worry and more so a challenge for Police Officers and Immigration Officers at various ports of entry.
Citizenship Minister Winston Felix on Saturday announced that a full investigation has been launched to determine the circumstances under which Dataram and his reputed wife were issued with the bogus documents.
The duo were nabbed in neighbouring Suriname just under a week ago and handed over to local law enforcement authorities.The passports bore the name David Persaud and Christine Persaud, with the year of issue being 2013 and 2016 respectively.
The investigation was launched to determine who and what documents were involved in their preparation, as well as the couple’s method of departure from Guyana.The Minister also guaranteed that those culpable will face the harshest possible action.
The revelation of the issuance of passports which helped the drug lord and his spouse escape the country brings into play the concerns raised by the People’s Progressive Party/Civic Opposition of rampant corruption practices under the Citizenship Ministry.
But the Ministry, which has responsibility for immigration services, insists that it inherited a number of challenges related to the integrity of the systems when the new Administration took office in May 2015 and has been working to correct those issues.
Dataram and his wife, along with two others, were charged with the possession of some 129.23 kg of cocaine at his home for the purpose of trafficking on April 16, 2015.
On September 27, while Dataram had already fled the country, he was convicted and sentenced to five years imprisonment and fined some $164 million. After his appearance on Tuesday, he was sentenced to another four years after he pleaded guilty to forgery, evading penalty and illegal departure.
