NASSAU| Prime Minister Philip Davis said the government is deeply concerned by recent cases of fraud involving Bahamian passports, NIB cards and driver’s licenses, describing the incidents as troubling while stressing that police are working to contain the problem.
Speaking yesterday during a walkabout in the Southern Shores area of New Providence, Davis said fraud cases are often difficult to uncover because they are built on deception and designed to avoid detection.
“When we talk about fraud that has an element of deceit, and perpetrators are engaging in it to ensure that you won’t discover it,” Davis said. “That’s why sometimes it takes longer to figure it all out.”
He said the government is alarmed that official documents and instruments are being manipulated in ways meant to mislead others, adding that law enforcement has already taken notice and is doing its best to respond.
The issue of document fraud has raised public concern, particularly over the possible damage to the credibility of official Bahamian identification and travel documents.
In February, Immigration Director Stephen LaRoda said the department had moved to tighten oversight in response to the illegal activity. He noted that an officer had been assigned to passport offices to screen applications and verify the authenticity of official documents.
Concern intensified last week after a Haitian man was remanded to prison, accused of fraudulently obtaining a Bahamian passport and voter’s card and attempting to use the passport at Lynden Pindling International Airport.
Despite the recent incidents, Davis said he does not believe the matter currently poses a major threat to national security or to the standing of Bahamian documents, noting that the scale of the fraud remains limited.
Still, he warned that any fake document presented as official has the potential to weaken the integrity of the country’s national security systems.
