He may face jail after saying he hadn’t travelled for 14 days – as pictures show he was in Belgrade and Marbella
Now Djokovic could be kicked out over ‘lie’ on Oz entry form
NOvAK Djokovic could face jail if the Australian authorities find that he lied on his form to get into the country.
In the latest twist in his ongoing visa debacle, Border Force officials launched an investigation yesterday into whether the tennis star misled authorities on his travel declaration.
Doubts have emerged over the accuracy of one of his answers, reportedly filled out by his agent before the world No. 1 flew in from Spain hoping to compete in next week’s Australian Open.
A copy of his form showed a tick in the box to confirm he had not and would not travel in the 14 days before landing in Australia on January 5.
But photographs show the Monte Carlo-based star in his native Belgrade at Christmas and then training in Spain over the New Year before boarding his flight to Australia via Dubai.
Passengers are warned that giving false or misleading information on the entry form is a ‘serious offence’ which carries a jail sentence of up to 12 months.
A leading Australian immigration lawyer said that if the player has been dishonest he could be deported. David Price, principal solicitor at Kinslor Prince Lawyers, said: ‘There’s a clear ground for cancellation [of his visa] there... it’s much more clear cut if they can find deceit on the form.
‘Even if we give him the benefit of the doubt, and say when he filled in the form he did not know he would be going overseas (other than to Australia), he still has an obligation to update Home Affairs, so it can still be cancelled for a failure to update the record.’
He added that Djokovic could not ‘hide behind the argument that his entourage or his lawyer’ erroneously filled out the form.
‘Under the Migration Act, if someone fills out your form you’re still responsible for it,’ Mr Price said. Djokovic also faces being kicked out of Australia over his lack of Covid-19 vaccination, with immigration minister Alex Hawke reviewing his case.
A spokesman said Mr Hawke he was ‘considering whether to cancel Mr Djokovic’s visa’ using his ministerial powers. He would not comment further.
Djokovic was detained last week after his visa was revoked by border officials but on Monday a judge overturned the decision, citing procedural errors. The Serb was freed from detention in a rundown Melbourne immigration hotel and resumed training at the Rod Laver Arena with his team. He was seen there again yesterday.
All arrivals in Australia are required to be vaccinated or provide a valid medical exemption.
Officials ruled the 34-year-old did not meet the exemption criteria despite his claims he had recently recovered from Covid after testing positive on December 16. Djokovic then tested negative on December 22.
But Der Spiegel and the New York Times reported that the QR code accompanying his original test presented a negative result rather than a positive one.
The controversy has threatened to cause a diplomatic row, with
‘Can’t hide behind his lawyer’
‘Don’t know when he got results’
Djokovic’s parents in Belgrade accusing the Australians of ‘persecuting, harassing and torturing’ their son.
Australian prime minister Scott Morrison had discussions with his Serbian counterpart Ana Brnabic, who was said to have asked for the tennis star to be treated with ‘dignity’ and to be allowed to prepare for the tournament. Asked about the public appearances Djokovic made on December 17, the day after testing positive, Miss Brnabic said that if he attended the events knowing he had Covid it would be a ‘clear breach’ of Serbia’s 14-day isolation rules.
But she added: ‘I do not know when he actually got the results.’
Documents show the result came back positive at 8pm on December 16 but it is unclear whether or not Djokovic was informed at that point.
Sir Andy Murray said the Serbian needs to answer questions over why he was pictured at public events the next day.
Meanwhile Marton Fuscovics became the first player to openly disagree with Djokovic’s presence at the Australian Open. The Hungarian said that people’s health ‘was paramount’ and the rules indicated that everyone, including Djokovic, should get vaccinated.
Novak Djokovic was set to learn his australian open fate this morning after yet another kink in his story emerged. The world No 1 was found to have falsified the answer on his immigration forms relating to his whereabouts for the 14 days prior to entering australia — an offence which theoretically carries a maximum 12-month prison sentence.
in a further twist, it emerged that his travel declaration form was filled out by Tennis australia, further illustrating how closely linked they were with his whole application process.
These factors were being weighed up by canberra immigration minister alex Hawke, who was due to rule today on whether the unvaccinated star could stay on in the country.
Hawke has the power to override the court decision made on Monday which released Djokovic from his hotel.
Somehow the player, his management and Tennis australia contrived to give a wrong answer, ticking the ‘No’ box to the question of whether he had travelled in the two weeks prior to his arrival.
This is surprising, to say the least, as the 34-year-old Serb seemed to have a plan to prepare as best he could for australia.
He followed a well-trodden path for someone who spends most of his free weeks between three bases — Belgrade, Monaco and
Marbella. on christmas Day he was pictured in the Serb capital, but by New Year’s Eve he was videoed practising at the Puente Romano tennis and beach resort in southern Spain.
He was reportedly using the same balls used at the australian open, yet the trip wasn’t declared to the australian authorities.
it adds to the two other areas of unanswered questions, which surround both his positive test on December 16 and missing the Tennis australia deadline of December 10 to apply for a vaccine exemption.
one well-placed source told Sportsmail that Djokovic’s application was twice rejected before December 10, although that could not be verified.
The mystery around the December 16 test deepened last night when evidence emerged from German publication Der Spiegel — using the QR barcode on Djokovic’s court documents — suggesting it was actually logged on December 26.
Djokovic has yet to explain why he was present at a public event and a photoshoot on the 17th and 18th. and a positive test on Boxing Day, rather than December 16, could explain this.
Being diagnosed with covid after christmas would have caused even more problems for his travel, both to Spain in late December and australia on january 4 — particularly for someone who has not been vaccinated.
Should Djokovic be allowed to defend his title he will be one of a tiny minority of unjabbed people allowed into Melbourne Park, as it is otherwise mandatory for players, workers and spectators.
in a comedic turn of events, it also emerged that the player had to be granted an exemption to attend the offices of his law firm, Hall and Wilcox who, according to the Sydney Morning Herald, do not allow unvaccinated people through their front door. as the outcome of the ministry’s investigation was awaited, player reaction continued to come in. andy Murray bemoaned how the whole episode was overshadowing the build-up to the grand slam.
‘We want the best players there, but there are questions to be answered. Until that happens, it’s tough to give a definitive opinion,’ he added.
a stronger view came from world No38 Marton Fucsovics.
‘People’s health is paramount and there are rules that were outlined months ago, namely that everyone should vaccinate themselves and Djokovic didn’t,’ he said. ‘From this point of view, i don’t think he should have the right to be here.’