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Abel Prasad arrested and extradited to face 23 charges
Declaring to the ABC that he did not scam anyone and that it was his business partner who scammed visa hopefuls has not stopped the arrest of Abel Prasad by the Australian Federal Police.
Police sources have told the ABC that both the NSW and Queensland Police as well as the Immigration Department that they have been investigating Abel Prasad of SVC Legal for some time.
Prasad however says he never acted as a migration agent and denies any wrong-doing. Prasad, who is the son of the late, eminent South Australian doctor and leading Fijian philanthropist Dr Umanand Prasad, now faces 23 charges relating to GST fraud.
On ABC’s 7.30 report last night, Indian student Jaspal Marok alleged that he handed Prasad his life-savings of $17,000 on the promise of a visa and job with a salary of $65,000 at one of Prasad’s companies, Snappy Digital only to subsequently be handed a forged visa from Prasad's business.
Chinese student Ashley Chen, alleged that he paid Prasad $41,000 for a job and the promise of a visa within ’24 hours’. When no visa arrived, Mr Chen alleged that his enquiries on the matter were met by threats from Prasad.
Migration Alliance Convenor, Liana Allan who has been warning of Abel Prasad’s dealings for several months on this blogsite and has been assisting police investigations on the matter appeared on ABC’s 7.30 report and alleged that there are many more victims:
“According to the head of the Migrants Alliance [Liana Allan], the peak body for migration agents, Mr Prasad has allegedly scammed at least 20 people.” ABC’s 7.30 report.
Ms Allan told the ABC that, "Abel Prasad is, quite frankly, a con man…He lies to people and pretends that he can get them a new life in a new country, in Australia."
For the full report, follow this link: http://mobile.abc.net.au/news/2015-11-11/abel-prasad-arrested-over-alleged-migrant-visa-scam/6932040
Comments
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Thursday, 12 November 2015This person has had more businesses and scammed more people than most have had hot dinners. He has been taken to court for owing thousands to employees, suppliers and property owners and he really doesn't care.
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Thursday, 12 November 2015
I'm extremely disappointed by the Minister's remarks about what has been done. I'll vote him out next time
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Thursday, 12 November 2015
Peter Dutton has turned this into "we are clamping down on Migration Agents" and fails to mention about protecting people against unlicensed practice.
Petter Dutton is an absolute idiot. -
Thursday, 12 November 2015
What do you expect from an ex Queensland copper.
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Thursday, 12 November 2015
What a tosser Peter Dutton is............... (excuse my French!)
I've just written to his office and I'd encourage everyone to do the same. -
Thursday, 12 November 2015It is unfair to vilify RMAs and to talk about 8 out of 5200 RMAs being sanctioned and 93 breaches. Sanctions include cautions. 93 breaches from a profession that would handle in excess of 250,000 applications is hardly indicative of some systemic problem. RMAs are compliant, act diligently and are professional in their dealings with Consumers, I wonder how many DIBP officers were sanctioned last year?
· Shan Sumeda-Senanayake likes this comment. -
Thursday, 12 May 2016
Agreed. There was also a Case officer involved in granting Visas for a fee for applicants from the Philippines. The Filipino lost the PR Visa (Cancelled) after Immigration found out but no mention of this in the media or releases (it was in a court case).
Delhi High Commission had a number of case officers receiving bribes to grant student visas. The case officer would be called by the agent, then the case officer would meet the agent downstairs to get the payment and go back and grant the visa.
To immigrations credit those case officers lost their jobs after it was brought to their attention.
Making Migration Agents Scape goats and using them to show how they are protecting the vulnerable while ignoring the real criminals is not Professional, is Unethical, Morally corrupt and an absolute abuse of power -
Thursday, 12 November 2015
Hi Liana, you looked good on tele and made some valid points but it seems that the MARA is not taking any action, or will you follow up with them . I would have liked to hear from them or immigration and to say that they will take serious sanctions against this crook and put him in prison and fine him big time .It’s the likes of this guy that gives our profession such a bad name.
Cheers,
Helen -
Thursday, 12 November 2015
Liana, Congratulation in the ABC program exposing scams.
Would MA be able to take up with the Minister or the Secretary of the Department to change their policy in their refusal to reveal the status of DIBP investigation of unregistered practice .
Sometimes ago I documented in detail where a company was providing unregistered practice from WA, passing off as my company . I had deferred any legal action for “ passing off” and theft of my logo.
I brought to the Department’s notice of this unregistered practice about 4 months ago. The department does not want to advise me of the outcome of my complain, even though I am the author and stake holder for the complain and its outcome.
The MARA has outlined the policy below and I think the policy needs to be changed where the complainant has a stake on the outcome. I am no asking for details of the investigation. All I wanted to know was the status of the complaint if it has been archived with no further action or it is being investigated. The department policy needs changing. -
Friday, 13 November 2015
I am also a victim of this man , he said to me i am not eligible to apply onshore and he sent my family to india i paid him $17000 for 402 visa and promise with me i will be back in 15-20 days but its one yr now , he ruined my life ,
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Friday, 13 November 2015
This man is a big crook .he always speak lie,government should punish him .he did froud with me,took $21000 and then suddenly disapear close his office (svc legal).now i hope he ll be punished. I sent email to migration alince but not respond. I can give avidence to migration alince about him .
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Thursday, 12 May 2016
Send your information to the Investigations department of Immigration. Try the AFP. Go to your local Police Station and report it.
You never know. Maybe some action will happen -
Friday, 13 November 2015
I had no idea who he was but I know him personally. I noticed he never uses his real name. When I would see his mail on the desk there would be name's that were not his for utilities etc.
He started a business in Queensland with a friend of mine and scammed more people out of Tens of thousands. I looked him up on Google eventually before this all came out and realized he was a con artist. I had no idea it was this bad though.
I hope he gets what he deserves. -
Thursday, 12 May 2016
This con artist will probably get a slap on the wrist! Told not to do it again, and everyone's money he stole is long gone! Truly what will the justice system do to him, but more importantly how will his victims get their money back? That's the only justice for them, and unfortunately I don't see this happening! What I am aware of is the OMARA sometimes go after the wrong RMA and leave the "non compliant" ones continuing what they are doing no questions asked!
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Thursday, 12 May 2016
What about the other Illegal practitioners, the ones passed to Immigration. like the muslim man in Melbourne offering Protection visa applications for $9,000 and submitting reasons like cant go back to Thailand because they are Christian. Haven't seen anything of this for more than a year. So many paid him. Promising the world and delivering nothing. Where is the action?
Unlicensed criminals seem to have ministerial Protection. Maybe someone can explain that thinking to me. If it is better to be unlicensed and not pay migration agent fees why should we?
Since the law is there to follow it implies the enforcement must be managed. The Department and particularly the Minister is at fault for lack of enforcement especially when so many case of illegal representation are known by them and no action is taken.
Immigration blog
The Minister has thrown his 5 cents in on the whole Kapilnand Prasad matter..
This is his contribution:
"Unfortunately there have been instances of people pretending to be migration agents and providing false or misleading information to take advantage of a person's desire to travel to Australia," he said.
"This calendar year, my department has sanctioned eight migration agents resulting in either a caution, suspension, cancellation or a barring decision on their registration.
"Additionally, my department has found breaches in regard to 93 complaints made against registered migration agents during the same period."
Anyone reading that commentary would think that the problem is not that Kapilnand Prasad and Eddie kang who are NOT migration agents were allowed to act with impunity because DIBP in effect sat on its hands whilst MA ( not the Police or DIBP or the ACCC) issued warnings to the community as a whole. The problem here is not sanctioned RMAs but CRIMINAL ENTREPRENEURS who know that DIBP will do nothing to act against them or take any steps to shut them down until millions have been stolen and misappropriated. These pencil pushers are spineless and their best effort is after the fact to make commentary in effect suggesting that there is some widespread problem with RMAs. This is not the case. It is misleading to suggest otherwise. If this Minister and the legion of pencil pushers he manages were on the ball and were really interested in protecting vulnerable consumers then they would have acted earlier. This is a case of too little to late. MA took up the cudgels for the victims whilst the Minister and his Department fiddled whilst Rome burned. It is a bit rich to then trumpet about what a great job his Department has been doing to protect consumers when in effect what they did was FA. I notice that he omitted to mention that one of his pencil pushers in Brisbane was implicated in a sophisticated fraud which has netted millions from more vulnerable consumers. Perhaps the Minisiter needs to read his press releases before they are sent out in his name.