Jamaican man, three Haitians accused of breaching Bahamian immigration laws

NASSAU, Bahamas, CMC – Four CARICOM nationals, including a Jamaican, are accused of running afoul of The Bahamas' immigration laws.

Jamaican Bryan Omar Brooks was denied bail after he pleaded not guilty to obtaining a Bahamian passport by fraud. He has been charged with being in possession of a forged document, uttering a forged document, and fraud by false pretences.

When he appeared before Senior Magistrate Kendra Kelly-Burrows, the prosecution alleged that Brooks submitted a forged immigration certificate of registration to the Passport Office on May 4, 2024.

The prosecution said that one week later Brooks obtained the passport and presented the false passport to Bahamian Immigration officers on August 8, September 6, September 9, October 29, and November 11 of 2024.

Brooks denied the allegations and was granted US$8,000 cash bail and is required to sign in at the Carmichael Road Police Station until the conclusion of his trial, which is set to begin on July 11.

Meanwhile, three Haitian nationals, were arrested over the weekend after they were found in possession of forged National Insurance Board (NIB) cards.

Police said that during a routine check of passengers arriving domestically from New Providence on Saturday, three individuals presented National Insurance identification cards that raised suspicion.

Police said officers had been alerted to the situation by an official from the Bahamas Immigration Department and in collaboration with a representative from the NIB, examined the cards and the documents which were confirmed to be fraudulent.

Three Haitian men, ages 29, 30 and 36, were taken into custody and cautioned on suspicion of possessing forged documents.

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