Attorney General Anand Ramlogan has told Commissioners of Affidavits, Justices of the Peace (JPs) and Marriage Officers that documentary evidence is important in their jobs and had become even moreso in the light of the inflow of illegal immigrants into the country.
“That is why when we had the recent issue of the deportation of illegal immigrants there were those who said to give them a chance because they are undocumented. No one has said we are not prepared to give them a chance but that chance must be done in accordance with the law. “If you are undocumented it means that you did not come through the airport and landed on a plane. It means you landed on a boat on some part of T&T that is not regulated,” he said.
Ramlogan spoke on Friday night at the Appointments Ceremony of the Ministry of the Attorney General for Marriage Officers, Justices of the Peace and Commissioner of Affidavits at the Auditorium of the Central Bank, Port-of-Spain. Last weekend, the Government chartered a plane to deport 11 Africans who were illegally staying in T&T back to Africa.
Ramlogan advised marriage officers that they must uphold the law and oversee marriages that were legitimate and not by foreigners using it to seek citizenship in T&T. “I say this at a time when the question of fake marriages has reared its ugly head in the context of recent deportations; we have a duty to treat with the sanctity and respect the instrument of appointment and not betray it. Ensure it is an authentic marriage, do not be misled,” he said.
He said when the Government took office the process to appoint JPs had almost stopped. “In Tobago, there was one functioning JP and for 18 years there had not been a single appointment of a JP. We went to Tobago and appointed ten last year. “In Trinidad, I discovered hundreds of applications on my desk and they were gathering dust. Today, we have appointed 23 JPs, 125 Commissioners of Affidavits, and 540 Marriage Officers. It is a milestone we should be happy to celebrate,” he said.
He said this Government took office following a breakdown in communication between the previous government and the populace.