Christopher Thomas, STAR Writer

WESTERN BUREAU:

A Cuban national, who was arrested last month after entering Jamaica with a fraudulent Spanish passport, was ordered to be deported after he pleaded guilty in the Montego Bay Resident Magistrate's Court on Tuesday.

Jose Banroso Lambard, a 34-year-old waiter, initially pleaded not guilty to uttering a forged document when his case came up in court, but he changed his plea to guilty shortly afterward and was ordered to pay a fine of $60,000 or spend 30 days in jail, in addition to the deportation order.

The court was told that on April 25, Lambard arrived in Jamaica from Cuba, while on transit to the United States. While being processed, he was found to be in possession of a Cuban passport and a Spanish passport, but he was arrested after irregularities were found in the Spanish passport.

forged name

"The accused was found in possession of two passports, but it is the Spanish passport that was forged the name in the passport is good, but the passport was never officially issued from the Spanish Embassy," said clerk of the court Natalie Malcolm.

But Lambard told Resident Magis-trate Carolyn Tai, through an interpreter, that he had gotten the passport legally.

"He (Lambard) is saying he got it from the Spanish Embassy, he went to the Spanish Embassy in Cuba and got it," said the interpreter.

"Based on everything I have heard, what I intend to do is not to send you to prison, but I'm going to impose a fine of $60,000 or 30 days' imprisonment if you do not pay, and also you will be deported to Cuba," RM Tai told Lambard.

"No problem, he says he's not going to go back to Jamaica or anywhere, he's going to tear up his passport he says it was the first time he was travelling and it's also the last time," said the interpreter, drawing chuckles from the courtroom.

"You can tell him that he doesn't have to tear up the good passport (the Cuban passport)," said RM Tai, before Lambard was eventually led out of the courtroom.