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<figure class="wp-block-image"><img src="https://buzz-caribbean.com/app/uploads/2019/08/delroy-chuck.png" alt="" class="wp-image-4938" /><figcaption>Justice Minister Delroy Chuck says several Jamaicans have received fake divorce papers. (Photo: JIS)</figcaption></figure>
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<p>There seems to be no
end in sight for the ongoing investigation into the issuing of fake divorce
papers. </p>
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<p>The latest
development in what has been a two-year-old investigation is that Jamaica’s
Justice Minister Delroy Chuck believes that members of the legal fraternity are
involved in the scheme where shysters issue fake Decree Absolute documents to
unsuspecting persons seeking to complete their divorces in short order.</p>
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<p>A Decree Absolute is
a court of law’s final order officially ending a marriage, enabling either
party to remarry.</p>
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<p>The Justice Minister
revealed on television recently that about a month ago, Jamaica’s Chief
Justice, The Honourable Mr Justice Bryan Sykes, received correspondence that
was also copied to him, from a law firm bringing attention to about nine of 10
cases of divorce where the final divorce documents turned out to be fake.</p>
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<p>The documents, Chuck
said, though fake, were on what appeared to be legitimate letterheads from the
said law firm. However, the firms had no knowledge of these cases. </p>
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<p>The news comes on
the heels of a recent court appearance of a sergeant of police, who, it is
alleged, has been offering forged divorce documents.</p>
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<p>The matter came to
the light in late 2017 when persons, who believed they were divorced, began
turning up at the Registrar General Department seeking marriage licences. </p>
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<p>Subsequent
Investigations led to the arrest of four persons, including an employee at the
Supreme Court, on charges of forgery, uttering forged documents and conspiracy.
Those charged are 44-year-old construction worker Artnel Sampson; 35-year-old
studio engineer Wayne Annakie; and 36-year-old farmer Shervin Levy.</p>
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<p>Among the victims
caught in the scheme was Melvin Samuels, who, in October 2017, was eventually
cleared of bigamy charges in the Cayman Courts after it was determined that he had
been duped by the shysters.</p>
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<p>Reports suggest that an attorney is currently under investigation in relation to the fraud. It is unclear how many Jamaicans seeking speedy divorces were hoodwinked.</p>
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<p>— <strong><em>Written by Chase </em></strong></p>
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