THE Land Transport Authority has discovered alleged forged documents among applications lodged for new taxi permits last week. Three applicants are believed to have directly uplifted a bank statement from another genuine applicant by falsely enclosing the applicants bank balance in their statements. The situation has spurred the authority to issue a strong warning that falsifying documents is a criminal offence and anyone found committing such an act would be taken to task. Authority spokesman Iliesa Sokia said it was discovered that four applicants produced the exact same balance amount, transaction dates and placement of the banks rubber stamp but had different names. The documents were copied using a colour photocopier, Mr Sokia said. Upon crosschecking with the banks, it was discovered that three accounts have been closed and there was only one valid account which contained the amount that was forged thrice. The fourth applicant failed to meet one of the procedures, that is if an applicant does not have a vehicle and is applying for a permit, the applicant must have at least more than $6000 in the bank. But if an applicant has a vehicle, the minimum amount to be showing in their bank statement must be more than $1050. The applicant had lodged her application earlier and was told she failed under the above procedures, however, she reapplied a few days later and produced an unsigned letter of consent from a bank stating the person had deposited an exorbitant amount in the bank and that the balance was a true statement to date. The letter didnt have a letter head but had the banks rubber stamp and was only signed by a manager. The bank, Mr Sokia said, when contacted confirmed the account was a valid one, however, it did not disclose further details as a matter of policy. The authority will handle the case internally and will hold the entire discrepancy discovery against the applicant as a justification if the application is rejected by the chief executive officer. Falsifying of documents is a criminal offence and the LTA is warning applicants it will be vigilant in screening applications; if people are thinking of forging their papers to meet the requirements, they will face the full brunt of the law. fijitimes/story.aspx?id=250292
Posted on: Tue, 05 Nov 2013 22:04:32 +0000
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