PROBE INTO CASH FOR VISAS SCANDAL
CORRUPT immigration officers at one of the nation’s high commissions have allegedly been bribed to give Australian visas to Nigerians.
News Corp is today revealing details of a high-level probe into the cash-for-visas scandal at the Australian embassy in the South African capital of Pretoria.
Two Australian High Commission immigration officials in Pretoria have been sacked as authorities try to establish how many Nigerians were handed shonky visas.
The joint investigation by the Australian Commission for Law Enforcement Integrity and the Immigration Department has established at least 21 Nigerians have Australian student visas that were “tainted by the corrupt conduct of the department officers”.
A recent Administrative Appeals Tribunal hearing was told the Immigration Department has identified a link between offshore criminals and student visas granted by the corrupt officers in Pretoria.
The AAT also heard the departmental investigation was trying to determine how widespread the corrupt activity was and establish how many Nigerians entered Australia using the dodgy visas.
Evidence was given that money was allegedly being paid to Immigration Department officers in South Africa “by third parties associated with Nigerian students”.
One of a number of Nigerian students allowed into Australia on the suspected dodgy visas has appealed against a decision by a delegate for Home Affairs and Immigration Minister Peter Dutton to kick her out of the country.
AAT deputy president Jan Redfern and AAT member Colin Huntly recently jointly overturned that decision and allowed Ogochukwu Concilia Odinkaeze to stay.
That was despite hearing evidence from Mr Dutton’s delegate that Ms Odinkaeze’s visa was cancelled because there was a reasonable suspicion it was obtained as a result of “fraudulent conduct” and that the grounds for cancelling it were “serious and impacted on the integrity of the Australian visa program”.
The office in Pretoria han- dles all student visa applications from Sub-Saharan Africa.
A Home Affairs Department spokeswoman yesterday said: “The department takes all allegations of misconduct and corruption seriously. Robust action is taken against individuals where corrupt conduct is identified.”
She said the matter had been referred to the ACLEI, and “the department is committed to working closely with ACLEI to maintain the integrity of its activity and personnel”.
“As part of this investigation, visas issued by these individuals have been assessed and appropriate action taken where necessary.”