Worker fined $5,000 for bogus certificate

In passing sentence on Anthony Huggins, Justice Alice York Soo-Hon stated that no useful purpose would be served by incarcerating him, and that it appears that other people were involved.

She also noted that since Huggins’ arrest he had resigned his job and fallen into financial difficulties. Also his wife is confined to a wheelchair.

Soo-Hon further noted that Huggins was also unable to benefit from the $1,000 he took for the birth certificate since the police had taken possession of it. Also, in Huggins’ favour, was that he did not waste the court’s time and pleaded guilty and fully cooperated with the police.

Huggins, who worked for 33 years in the Birth Certificate Department in the Registrar General’s Office at the Red House, pleaded guilty last Thursday in the Port-of-Spain Second Criminal Court to two counts of corruption — soliciting $1,000 for the documents and receiving the $1,000.

However, when the matter was called yesterday, his attorney Hayden St Clair Douglas, indicated to the court that the two counts were a duplicity of the charge. Soo-Hon agreed and had Huggins re-arraigned on the receiving count alone. He pleaded guilty and she directed the jury to return a guilty verdict on that count.

According to senior State prosecutor Jeron Joseph, the police had set up a sting operation to catch Huggins.

Cpl Rampersad Gopiechand went to the Red House and asked for Huggins on May 2, 2000. He told Huggins that he had been deported from the United States and wanted a birth certificate to assume a new identity.

Huggins told him to wait and returned 20 minutes later with two documents — one bearing the name of Moon Seepersad and the other Dolly Ramlal, and asked him to choose a name. Gopiechand chose Moon Seepersad. Huggins told him that he would have to pay $25 in stamp duties and $1,000 for the transaction. An agreement was struck for Gopiechand to return on May 5 for the birth certificate. Gopiechand returned to his office and updated Supt Baldeo. Gopiechand was given ten $100 bills. The bill’s serial numbers were recorded by the police.

He returned with other police officers on the appointed day to meet Huggins. PC Nanan, who had also recorded the bills’ numbers, stood some distance from where the two men had met.

Huggins handed over the birth certificate to Gopiechand and in turn the $1,000 was handed to Huggins in a brown envelope. As Huggins pocketed the money he was arrested by Nanan.