PHILIPSBURG–Three men and one woman have been charged with involvement in human smuggling with the use of falsified St. Maarten identification (ID) cards and driver’s licences. These documents were allegedly used in the attempt to gain two of them illegal entry into St. Maarten. The Judge will give his decision in this case on January 9, 2019.
The Prosecutor called for sentences of 12 months, six of which are to be suspended, on two years’ probation for the alleged organisers of the scheme, C.J.M. (34) and J.G. (26), who are both residents of French St. Martin.
According to the Prosecution, they had attempted to smuggle C.L.C. (29) and F.D. (36) from Haiti into St. Maarten. They should be sentenced to eight weeks for the possession of falsified documents, the Prosecutor demanded.
The four had been travelling on board the same flight from Haiti to St. Maarten. They were arrested at the transit hall at Princess Juliana International Airport (PJIA) on July 2.
C.J.M., who was the only suspect present for Wednesday’s hearing, told the Judge he did not have any knowledge about the fact that the official documents presented by his co-suspects were false. “I have nobody work for me illegally. I have no reason to traffic people,” he told the Court.
He said the two men were to work in the company and that his supervisor had asked him to travel with these people. J.G., whom he said was a close friend, had been travelling with him to Haiti to do some sightseeing.
Prior to travelling to French St. Martin, they had wanted to go to Anguilla to have a look at two of the company’s projects there.
C.J.M. has permanent residence in French St. Martin. J.G. was born in French St. Martin and the two men were entitled to enter Dutch St. Maarten with a St. Maarten ID card, he said.
C.L.C. told the police they were charged between US $6,000 and $8,000 for the ID cards and driver’s licences, which he said were needed to be able to work in Dutch St. Maarten. He said he did not know that the scheme was illegal.
F.D. said the St. Maarten ID was arranged by his brother and said he had no idea that the card was false. He said that C.J.M. would arrange a job for him and said he thought the driver’s licence was a gift.
C.J.M. denied he had been in charge of the operation and said that J.G., who had carried the men’s documents in an envelope, was his assistant.
The Prosecutor found all four guilty as charged. “St. Maarten is a better place for many. To organise this in an orderly fashion there is a visa policy,” the Prosecutor stated. Travellers from Haiti require a visa if they want to travel to Dutch St. Maarten.
The Prosecutor said the four suspects had undermined the system in a “refined” way by taking the two workmen to Dutch St. Maarten on board a regular flight from Haiti.
Attorney-at-law Shaira Bommel called for the acquittal of her clients C.J.M. and J.G. as they had not been aware of the illegality of the operation.
The lawyer said the two workmen had given differing statements to the police. She also said it was “quite logical” that J.G. had panicked when she was arrested as “she did not know what was going on.”
Source: The Daily Herald https://www.thedailyherald.sx/islands/83839-four-suspects-charged-with-human-smuggling-from-haiti
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