Haitians on fraud charges
Two Haitian men accused of having fraudulent Haitian passports were yesterday denied bail when they appeared before a magistrate.
John Doe, also known as Ricardo Phillips, 36, of Golden Isles Road, is accused of presenting to the Bahamas Department of Immigration on January 15, 2015 a forged Bahamian birth certificate and letter of attendance that claimed he attended Uriah McPhee Primary School.
He is accused of attempting to fraudulently obtain naturalization from the Bahamian government between January 15, 2015 and October 18, 2019.
The man is also accused of fraudulently obtaining a Haitian passport from the Haitian consulate between August 19, 2015 and October 18, 2019.
With the assistance of Creole interpreter Charlene Jean, Doe denied the charges when he appeared before Senior Magistrate Carolyn Vogt-Evans.
He returns to court on February 5, 2020 for trial.
Joel Ceus, 31, of Prince Charles Drive, denied that he fraudulently received a Haitian passport on July 17, 2019.
Ceus, who was represented by Crispin Hall, pleaded not guilty.
His trial has been set for February 10, 2020.
Hall said that he intended to make an application for habeas corpus in the Supreme Court because Ceus had been detained since October 24 before he was formally charged.