Brazilian miner convicted for bogus immigration stamps

Last Updated on Thursday, 12 June 2014, 19:33 by GxMedia

A Brazilian gold miner was convicted and fined on Thursday for having false immigration stamps in his passport.

Chief Magistrate, Priya Sewnarine-Beharry gave Raimundo Norato Barros the option of paying GUY$75,000 or six months imprisonment after he pleaded guilty to uttering a forged document and conspiracy. If he did not pay the fine, he would have had to serve three months on each charge.

Police said that with intent to defraud he uttered to Constable Natasha Halley his Brazilian passport B 001202 one bogus Guyana immigration entry stamp in order to be genuine, knowing same to be forged. He committed that offence on June 10 at the Ogle International Airport.

He was also charged with conspiring with a person or persons unknown to forge two Guyana immigration stamps in his Brazilian passport, purporting to show that they were issued by an immigration officer and knowing same to be false.

Defence Lawyer, Peter Hugh successfully asked the court not to impose a jail sentence on the father of three who has been mining gold in Guyana for at least five years now.

Hugh noted that Norato Barros has been cooperating with investigators.