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Corrupt Brisbane immigration case officer sold visas
In what has been described as the largest corruption scandal in the department of immigration, a Brisbane based case officer took over half a million dollars in bribes for granting visas to at least 59 foreigners.
Calls have now emerged for an overhaul of the visa approval process after the conviction of corrupt immigration officer, Filipino-born Alex Escala Allan, 52, from Doolandella, in Brisbane’s southwest.
Allan was sentenced in the District Court in Brisbane on Tuesday to eight months’ jail for secretly receiving $563,290 in bribes between May 2013 and April last year, according to a report in the Courier Mail.
Among those granted the visas include Allan’s son and girlfriend, both who are now awaiting deportation. DIBP has not made much headway in tracking the others.
It is reported that Allan was “easily able to unlawfully grant the visas by abusing a ‘manager level’ computer system log-on given to him during a temporary promotion to ‘acting manager’, according to the prosecution statement of facts. He then allocated the visa applications to himself, then approved them.
The Courier-Mail has been told that the Immigration Department processes were so loose that officials could manage a visa application in its entirety. That has now apparently been changed so different staff must approve elements.
Allan’s scam came unstuck when an immigration inspector at Brisbane airport decided to investigate the visa status of 2 Vietnamese travellers who could barely speak a word of English but held skilled visas to work as a ‘management accountant’ and ‘construction project manager’.
Further investigations revealed that while the applications of the travellers looked correct, the supporting documents in their application were “corrupted PDF” files – something which other DIBP staff would normally dismiss as a computer error and continue with routine processing. The probe into Allan’s dealings then followed.
The Courier Mail reports that this is the biggest corruption scandal to hit the immigration department since 2003 when $10,000 in bribes were paid to Sydney man Murray Duncan Bruce by two Korean middle-men. Bruce unlawfully granted or extended 50 visas while he was working in the immigration department.
Comments
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Monday, 09 November 2015I had 4 of the visa holders come to me after getting a NOICC. The fraudster created fake IELTS, fake documents from the CPA, Education and similar Australian organisations and all the applicants did was give the passport and pay $20K. What could I do? Nothing. They were simple country folk from Vietnam where it is usual to work with corrupt officials. Blame the Dept systems. One person being able to cherry pick 59 cases and process them from start to finish with no QC. In 2015 this unbelievable. Look to to the upper levels of the Dept to cull and fix. If they have no basic risk control then get someone else to take over. The COs are working with crazy systems, crazy policy and at levels above their ability in many cases, not their fault. In another large govt org I worked in one person could never do an end to end process and electronic QA would have stopped them.
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Wednesday, 11 November 2015
I also have one now, and is waiting for the MRT. Same as Ian's'. And also with a relative involved. The 8 months is smelly for reasons I don't wish to illuminate on line, but I am very suspicious about this. I am led to believe that Pais Patience also has one or two. RBock
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Saturday, 12 December 2015
well.................I got de-frauded out of money for a 190 visa and the company had all the documents to show that I would get the visa. Then later told me that I wouldn't get it.
I took the company to cort and over a 2 year period lead me to a judgment that I wouldnt even be able to enforce anyway since the people who I was dealing with knew how to play the system.
Positively, The company is now in proceedings with The Federal Court of Australia and the charges are really bad. However its yet to be seen if they can be enfornced since again - if you first get away with it once, do it again.
I don't think I get my money back and I don't know if the company will ever face its charges, but I will get my right to live in Australia. -
Thursday, 08 December 2016
Mike, South Africa. Thursday 08 December 2016
My nine year old grandson was issued a visa to accompany his mother to Australia. The mother does not have legal custody of the child, her application in the courts to win custody was dismissed and the child's father did not agree to his son being taken to Australia. How does the Australian Department of Immigration explain this?
This was not the first time. The child was the victim of parental child abduction before this. The courts in Perth ordered the mother to return the child to the country of his birth, which she did. How then, can she be allowed to take him out a second time?
I think the same thing we have read about a corrupt Brisbane Aus Dept of Immigration official selling visas is also happening in South Africa? How does one report this? -
Saturday, 22 April 2017
Australian Immigration/Embassy's employ local people to approve Aussie VISAS entering Australia. This is a recipe for DISASTER & CORRUPTION. This must be stopped ASAP
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Sunday, 23 April 2017
I feel there is something radically wrong in the Dept of Imm in the Aus Embassy in Pretoria. They employ locals how reliable and trustworthy are these people? How does one address this injustice?
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Wednesday, 24 May 2017
My visa was rejected by Sunita krishnan in 2009.The reason she gave was not strong.Beside I observed some people who migrated to Australia either returned or changed their profession.
I lost my Money and got screwed up.I am middle class person very difficult to accept it.I don't like these kind of case officers .
Immigration blog
I have one of these clients...she paid $160K...8 months jail? My client has had her visa cancelled and is being victimised all over again. The fact that a corrupt official can engage in this conduct and only get 8 months jail is pretty disgraceful. I hope the Prosecution appeal the sentence.