Immigration to investigate Sroubek case

WELLINGTON: Immigration Minister Iain LeesGalloway says he did not know about a court document revealing that convicted drugsmuggler Karel Sroubek had been back to Europe twice in 2009.

Under pressure over his decision to grant residency to Mr Sroubek, Mr LeesGalloway conceded it would be good to ‘‘reflect’’ on the process and see if it could be improved.

The minister has asked Immigration New Zealand to investigate serious claims that, if true, would contradict the reasons why he granted Mr Sroubek conditional residency in the first place.

While he would not talk about the details of the claims, citing legal reasons, it is believed the decision not to deport Mr Sroubek was made in part because of fears for his safety.

The National Party has called for the axe to fall on Mr LeesGalloway, adding the investigation is not needed and Mr Sroubek should be deported.

‘‘Despite the claims of fear of being sent back to the Czech Republic, he was voluntarily going back there and living in plain sight,’’ National immigration spokesman Michael Woodhouse said.

‘‘One way or another, this fellow is not worthy of staying in New Zealand and he should be sent home.’’

But Mr LeesGalloway said he had no intention of resigning, and expected Immigration NZ to report back to him within three weeks.

He said it was ‘‘not standard practice’’ to see all the court documents relating to Mr Sroubek before making his decision.

‘‘It is the practice I inherited from the previous Government . . . It would be a worthwhile exercise to reflect on that and see if there are improvements that could be made.’’

If the contradictory information stacks up, it could mean Mr Sroubek may have committed an offence under the Immigration Act — which could trigger liability for deportation or criminal charges.

Mr LeesGalloway also revealed that he granted residency to Mr Sroubek even though it was not asked for, saying it was the only way to achieve the outcome he had decided on.

Mr Sroubek had previously been granted residency under the false name Jan Antolik.

‘‘In order to suspend deportation, a new visa needed to be issued in the correct name,’’ Mr LeesGalloway said.

National’s justice spokesman Mark Mitchell said he had been in touch with retired immigration officers and police detectives who had dealt with Mr Sroubek.

‘‘Just about every single Kiwi this guy was put in front of, [they] completely rejected [his story] and saw it for what it was.

‘‘The only one who seems to have really drunk the koolaid on this is the minister and the prime minister.’’

Mr Sroubek came to New Zealand on a false passport from the Czech Republic in 2003, but was unmasked in 2009 when New Zealand police were given details of his identity and an international arrest warrant for minor charges.

In 2011 he was found guilty of using a false passport, but was discharged without conviction on grounds that he would be in danger from corrupt Czech authorities if he was deported.

He was previously acquitted of committing aggravated robbery with members of the Hells Angels, but in 2016, was jailed for five years and nine months for importing 5kg of MDMA.

Mr LeesGalloway said he could understand public indignation about a convicted criminal being granted residency while serving time.

‘‘But these matters are dealt with on a casebycase basis, and I have to deal with the information I have available to me at the time.’’

Mr LeesGalloway dealt with the case because Mr Sroubek was eligible for parole.

The Parole Board declined parole in September, and Mr Sroubek is due back before the board before the end of September 2019.

In rejecting parole, the board said he was a low risk of reoffending, but noted his links with criminal elements in the Czech Republic, with Hells Angels’ members and called his answers ‘‘selfexculpatory, evasive, longwinded and ultimately in our view in many respects manifestly untruthful’’.

His sentence end date is January 2022. — NZME