A Corozalena immigration officer accused of hustling Jamaican visitors went to court today after she was detained over the weekend for extorting a Jamaican national at the PGIA.
She is 31-year-old, Monique Escalante, who appeared at the Belize City magistrates court this morning where she was charged and arraigned for one count of Extortion against 27 year old Janhoi Shaun-Dhee Richards.
Richards alleges that on Friday March 15th 2023 when he landed at the airport, Escalante demanded he hand over $3,000 USD if he wanted to enter the country.
Escalante pleaded not guilty. Her attorney Audrey Matura, claims that her client, who is a junior officer, is being used as a scapegoat.
Audrey Matura, Attorney
"It's interesting what is happening. If the department believes there's a problem up at the airport, they need to look into it beyond trying to use my client as a scapegoat. And I say that because the second thing is that the facts as is being stated is very questionable, because according to the records that they will have there is that Mr. Richards who is claiming or making these allegations came into the country on the 15th of March. And I saw the report gave the impression that as this alleged incident happened, he ran to the police to get help, that's not true."
"He went to the police the 20th of March and what the department and people who are concerned are not saying is that he only made a report after he tried to leave Belize through the Belize/Mexico border."
"And the immigration officers there stopped him and then he came up with this story, so that's very important. So it's not like the reports are trying to make it seem, so what happened then that my client is the one that now is being used as a scapegoat in this matter."
Escalante was offered bail of $8,000 dollars which she was able to meet on the grounds that she surrenders her travel documents to the court.
