An interpreter has pleaded not guilty to involvement in what immigration officials believe was an organised scheme involving more than 150 false claims for asylum.
Nurul Noor Azman faces five charges under the Immigration Act. Photo: ikiryo/123RF
Nurul Noor Azman faces five charges under the Immigration Act of providing false or misleading information to a refugee officer.
The interpreter's name suppression has lapsed and he is due for jury trial in November.
RNZ [https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/469583/asylum-fraud-probe-into-158-claims-interpreter-charged
revealed last week that Immigration New Zealand (INZ) launched an investigation] after finding "striking similarities" in asylum claims from some Indonesian and Malaysian people already in New Zealand.
Immigration officials believe 158 cases are part of the same group, which it says appears to be "a deliberate scheme to exploit New Zealand's refugee and protection system".
Most of the asylum seekers claimed that without refugee status to protect them, they would face retribution from loan sharks in Indonesia and Malaysia.
All except 13 of the refugee applications thought to be in the same cohort have since been withdrawn or dismissed. Two were successful for reasons unconnected with claims of moneylenders extorting money and 11 are still to be decided.
Some had used identical wording to outline their fear of being attacked if they returned home, and they all lived in the same New Zealand city, including some at the same address, and all had the same legal representative.
"The claims of harm bore striking similarities to one another," a Refugee Status Branch officer told an appeals tribunal. "In some cases, the information was word for word identical or near identical, suggesting that "templates" were used. Of the broad categories of claims advanced by the cohort claims, a substantial majority (108) claimed to fear unlicensed moneylenders."
INZ's refugee and migrant services acting general manager Loretta Elive-Daunakamakama earlier told RNZ the alleged scheme was detected during processing, when it was apparent that a high number of similar claims were being lodged.
Many claimants did not pursue their claims, with 67 withdrawing them before a decision was made and others not attending an interview to determine their refugee status, she said.
"When the scheme was detected an agency notification was initiated. As a result of further investigation work, charges have now been laid and the case is due to go before the courts.
"Of the 78 unsuccessful claims, 38 (10 Malaysian, 28 Indonesian) were determined by the refugee and protection officer after the claimant did not appear for the scheduled interview and provided no acceptable explanation for their non-attendance."