Haitian man arrested at Marsh Harbour airport over passports

Haitian man arrested at Marsh Harbour airport over passports
Leonard M Thompson International Airport, Marsh Harbour, Abaco. (PHOTO: AIR UNLIMITED)

NASSAU, BAHAMAS — A Haitian man was arrested at the airport in Abaco after authorities discovered $11,000 and three Haitian passports in his possession, police said.

According to reports, the man presented to security screening at Leonard Thompson International Airport around 7am on Saturday.

When questioned about the cash and three Haitian passports, the man was unable to “give a satisfactory account”.

While the man remains in police custody, it remains unclear if and when he could be charged.

In recent months, a number of people have been detained and charged in court related to alleged fraud.

In February, a Haitian man was sentenced to one-year imprisonment after he pled guilty to attempting to obtain Bahamian citizenship under false pretenses.

The court heard that immigration authorities arrested Jamesly Fils-Aime, 29, in on January 28, 2020, for illegally landing in The Bahamas.

At the time of his arrest, Fils-Aime was found with a passport with the face and name of ‘Johnny Tannis’.

The court also heard that the Haitian Embassy in Nassau confirmed Fils-Aime had another passport in his name which he used to enter the country in July 2019.

In March, Wildine Francoeur, 28, was charged with attempting to fraudulently obtain Bahamian citizenship after she was found with forged documentation.

She was accused of obtaining a passport from the Bahamas Passport Office in December 2018, and a driver’s license from the Road Traffic Department in August 2019 under false pretenses.

She was also accused of being in possession of a falsified Bahamian passport on May 7, 2019.