Guyanese man jailed in Venezuela for using false ID

Jan 18, 2023 News

Kaieteur News – A Guyanese man recently spent 45 days in a Venezuelan jail after he was caught using a false identification card in that country.

The man identified as Chandricka Persaud, 47, is presently being represented by an organisation called “The Representative of the Guyanese Community in Venezuela” (RCGV).

According to the President of RCGV, Antonio Hamraj, Persaud was detained at a checkpoint in Venezuela after the Venezuelan National Guards stationed there found that the identification number of his Venezuelan ID Card was not registered in the country’s legal system.

The RCGV plans to report the issue to the Venezuelan Embassy in Georgetown, Guyana because Persaud reportedly received the Venezuelan ID card from a SAIME (A legal Administration Service for Immigration in the country) located in the City of Tucapita, Delta Amacuro.

The RCGV logo

Chandricka Persaud (left) and the RCGV president, Antonio Hamraj (right) having a discussion about his situation at the office of a Venezuelan media company.

“…Persaud had to spend more than 45 days in prison for the crime of document falsification, when the same Administrative Service for Immigration and Alien Identification issued the said document,” Hamraj said.

The RCGV President said that Persaud entered Venezuela with a Guyanese passport and a legal visa and has been living in San Felix, Venezuela for 36 years. He is a father of four Venezuelan born children.

Hamraj said it is unclear why Persaud is unable to obtain citizenship in Venezuela. Nonetheless, he is hopeful that after reporting the matter to the Venezuelan Embassy in Guyana, his client’s problem will be resolved in the shortest possible time.

Meanwhile, the RCGV President said that Persaud is not the first Guyanese with an ‘identity problem’ in Venezuela and related that he currently has 178 clients with similar cases.

Hamraj assured that his legal organisation is available “to listen to the difficulties Guyanese may face in Venezuela and is willing to work with them in finding solutions”.

Contact can be made with the RCGV in Venezuela on telephone numbers +58 412 1801770 and +58 286 9727695.

A census of Guyanese persons living in Venezuela stood at 51, 640. However, in recent time a significant number of Guyanese have migrated to other countries due to the economic crisis in Venezuela.

The RCGV is pleading with the Venezuelan authorities to assist all Guyanese living in the county with “identity problems” to resolve the issue and grant them citizenship.

• Antonio Hamraj, Chandricka Persaud, Guyana, Guyanese man, jailed, Venezuela, Venezuelan Embassy