Immigration checks Delhi bribe claim

Immigration NZ is investigating a serious allegation of corruption in its New Delhi office, where an officer is said to have demanded a $282,000 bribe to get 47 Indians into New Zealand.

The allegation has been made by Vinay Deobhakta, a Tauranga lawyer who was trying to get the group into the country.

He said the application was stalled until he was contacted by an Auckland woman who said she had a relative working in the New Delhi office.

Mr Deobhakta said he was told the application would fail unless he paid $6000 a person. He secretly recorded the conversation and has provided a copy to Immigration NZ.

Mr Deobhakta said he and an associate had paid the Auckland woman a $100,000 deposit.

The group is still in India.

Mr Deobhakta said he believed corruption was an issue in the New Delhi office and wanted a full inquiry.

The Department of Labour, which oversees Immigration NZ, confirmed its internal investigations unit was investigating the allegation.

A spokesman said its New Delhi office had stringent audit and verification systems in place. All work in the office was carried out under closed circuit TV and recorded.

The spokesman said visa applications were randomly assigned to case officers and a senior officer cross-checked all decisions before they were confirmed in the New Zealand system.