A Nigerian couple have been prosecuted for carrying false passports.
A special hearing at Mullingar District Court, last week, heard that Babitunde Bolarinwa and his wife Habitat Oladunmoye who have an address at 34 The Jetty, Market Point were both in possession of false Dutch passports, one of which Ms Oladunmoye used in an attempt to open bank accounts.
Inspector Jarlath Folan said the details emerged in April 2008 as Gardaí investigated the opening of bank accounts at institutes around Mullingar.
The couple’s home was searched and a number of items were found on the premises including bank cards, a Tesco card, and a Dutch passport in the name of Rebecca Opemiyan. There was also a Dunnes Stores employee’s badge. A second Dutch passport in the name of Peter Kozon Janusz was also found.
Ms Oladunmoye had attempted to open accounts at the Bank of Ireland, Ulster Bank and EBS in Mullingar using the passport. The court heard that as an asylum seeker she was not entitled to work in Ireland but that there was no suggestion of loss to anyone as a result of her actions.
She had worked at Dunnes Stores for nine months but lost her employment as a result of the charges brought against her. Mr Bolarinwa has been the country for eight or nine years, the court heard, and he had made no attempt to use the passport. He works in the security industry.
Judge John Lindsay fined Mr Bolarinwa, who has previous convictions for forgery, €200 and saying that “everyone gets a chance” gave Ms Oladunmoye the benefit of the Probation Act, warning her not to have any further involvement with false documentation.
