TWO women, who said they were able to obtain bogus stamps to extend their stay in this country with the help of an immigration officer, faced a San Fernando magistrate charged with being in possession of tampered passports.

Mily Tejada Ramirez and Nery Attagracia Marte Ramos, both from the Dominican Republic, told Magistrate Alicia Chankar they each gave $1,000 to a man who said he was an immigration officer. He promised he would be able to get their passports stamped with extensions on their stay in Trinidad.

The women were held at the San Fernando branch of the passport section of the Immigration Department on November 28 last year, and were charged with being in possession of a tampered passport. They were charged separately by Vijay Ramsamooj of the Immigration Department, who noticed the characteristics of the stamp were suspicious. Further checks with the Immigration Department records showed there was no evidence that an extension of time was granted, Superintendent Clarence Boodram said as he read the facts in the case to the Fourth Court last Thursday.

Through Spanish interpreter Yola de Figaro, Ramirez said she only wanted an extension of two months and was surprised she got ten months extra.

’It is not a matter of only wanting two months, the process was wrong,’ Chankar said as she asked Ramirez if this was the procedure in her country.

Ramirez said no.

Chankar questioned Ramirez’s purpose for being in the country and she replied she came on a vacation. ’What local foods and local drinks did you try? What places of interest did you see?’ Chankar asked. Ramirez said she had KFC, Stag and Carib beers and went to stores in San Fernando and Port of Spain.

The women were each fined $5,000 to be paid forthwith. In default they would serve one year simple imprisonment. Upon hearing this, Ramos got on her knees and begged Chankar for more time to pay the fine but her request was not granted.

Ramsamooj said further investigations were being conducted into the matter.