Four arrested over fake visa racket
A FOURTH suspect into the Papua New Guinea fake Visa racket was apprehended on Saturday at the Vision City car park.
The operation was conducted by the Members of the PNG Immigration Special investigation team in a joint operation with detectives from Gordons Minor Crimes after two Months of investigations.
Police confirmed the woman apprehended is a Papua New Guinean from the Southern Highlands Province and he is alleged to be the mastermind behind the Visa racket.
She is now charged with two criminal charges.
The Sunday Bulletin Newspaper confirmed that after conducting a surveillance operation the woman was picked up at the Vision City shopping Centre car park area in the company of a foreigner identified to be a Bangladeshi national.
The Members of the PNG Immigration Special Investigation team and Police Detectives are now cracking down on illegal visa rackets responsible for producing hundreds of fake visas.
I will not tolerate corruption and I will hold every immigration officer accountable.
– Acting Chief Migration Officer Robert Bara Kennedy.
The Minister for Immigration and Boarder Security Westly Nukundi Nukundj and the ACMO Mr Kennedy in recent times mentioned that corruption will not be tolerated in PNG Immigration.
On the case of fake visas, so far three suspects have being arrested, of which two are PNG Nationals and one Australian woman.
The fourth suspect was apprehended on Saturday and as investigations continues more suspects will be arrested including Immigration officers involved in this syndicate.
The arrests comes at a time when the Minister recently announced the Internal Investigations into the Immigration and Citizenship Authority (ICA) over many allegations of corruption leveled against the department, which successive heads of this organization and Governments over the years had failed to correct.
Mr Nukundj when announcing the internal investigations said there will be a complete overhaul this year in addressing mal-practices and corruption and ensuring productivity in PNG ICA and ensure we give true meaning to the definition of the Marape – Steven Governments slogan on “Take Back PNG”.
Meanwhile, it has been confirmed 176 Visas were issued to foreigners by PMG Immigration officers by conspiring with illegal syndicates on one Saturday last Month – some of which were issued to a logging company identified.
This newspaper (THE SUNDAY BULLETIN) understands those responsible will be dealt with accordingly.
- Four arrested over fake visa racket - June 9, 2020
