NASSAU| Minister of National Security Wayne Munroe has said the government is committed to identifying and prosecuting individuals involved in document fraud, following recent arrests linked to a fraudulent voter’s card case.
Earlier this month, a Parliamentary Registration Department (PRD) employee and a 33-year-old woman were taken into custody after a fake voter’s card was discovered at the National Insurance Board (NIB) when the woman attempted to obtain an NIB smart card.
Speaking on Friday, Munroe said the incident demonstrates that existing systems are functioning as intended.
“The fact that you couldn’t get a genuine voter’s card shows that the system works,” he said.
He explained that while fraudulent documents may be used to attempt access to other services, they cannot be used for voting purposes.
“The one thing you cannot do with a forged voter’s card is vote, because when you show up they’ll have the counterfoil in the box and if you cannot find the counterfoil you cannot vote,” Munroe said.
He added that document fraud is not a new issue, but said authorities are now detecting it more effectively.
“The fact of document fraud is one that’s been around for ages in every country,” he noted. “What I find startling is that we are detecting it now, and it wasn’t detected previously, when in fact it was happening previously.”
Munroe compared the current enforcement efforts to broader crime detection trends, saying increased discoveries reflect improved policing.
“So, every time we find a document that’s not properly done, that shows that we’re catching the bad guys,” he said.
The Minister also confirmed that the Davis administration plans to introduce tougher penalties for document fraud, including legislation that would increase maximum prison sentences.
He said the proposed changes could include up to 10 years’ imprisonment for offenders, though they would not apply retroactively.
Munroe added that the legislation is expected to be advanced early in the next term, reinforcing the government’s stance on strengthening protections against fraudulent documentation.
