Several dozen people were summoned at the start of the week in connection with a case of false health passes. The hearings confirm the existence of fraudulent networks which the defendants thought they could take advantage of without risk.
More than a dozen beneficiaries of false passes were interviewed by Saint Martin investigators, reinforced by their counterparts from the OCLAESP (Central Office for the Fight against Damage to the Environment and Public Health) Antilles-Guyane, under the direction of the Parquet de Basse-Terre.
Surprised by a procedure which lifts the veil on a network, the defendants often had to recognize the facts of which they were accused. For a few hundred euros, these "beneficiaries" could buy their fake health pass via an acquaintance or social networks.
These investigations, deemed sensitive by the authorities, are the subject of particular attention by investigators throughout France and Saint-Martin is no exception to the rule.
Lieutenant-Colonel Maxime Wintzer affirms that "the procedures used can make the buyer believe that he is not running a great risk, but the tools at our disposal allow us to detect fraud" before recalling that "the buyers of these false passes forget that it can be dangerous for their health by distorting the diagnosis and that they incur up to 5 years in prison and a fine of 75 euros for the use of an administrative forgery”.
The creators and holders of false passes received their summons before the criminal court to answer for their actions.
The gendarmerie recalls that the law provides for a lesser sanction for any person who voluntarily reports himself in possession of a false pass and can exempt from sanction the person who finally decides to "start the vaccination process" within 30 days.
Other operations of this type are already being planned in the territories of Saint-Martin and Saint-Barthélemy.
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