Thomas Oloko, 35, made the allegation during his sentencing hearing before Chief Magistrate Joanne Walsh.
Just after he was ordered to pay a $10,000 fine by midday today or serve 12 months in jail, he told the court he paid the officers $1,500 and gave them two gold wrist watches to facilitate his departure from the Heritage Quay port, on September 21, 2015, using the travel document.
Oloko who pleaded guilty to uttering the passport (presenting it as his own) identified one of the officers as the same person who arrested him that day when he was about to leave. He said the other officer was female.
While the matter is being investigated, the Nigerian will remain behind bars on remand for another passport fraud case for which he was taken before the court, in June, last year.
In that instance, he allegedly uttered another document that was not his, as he attempted to leave the country via the V C Bird International Airport.
The police are dealing with that matter. Oloko was on bail pending his trial in that case when he committed the second offence, and as such, the chief magistrate revoked the bail and ruled he must remain in prison until the matter is complete.
The Nigerian man has been residing in the country for several years.
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