Immigration lawyer takes corruption complaint to police

A Tauranga lawyer has taken his complaint of corruption at Immigration New Zealand's New Delhi office to the Indian police after the agency closed its investigation into an earlier complaint.

Vinay Deobhakta, a barrister specialising in immigration advocacy, alleges that an India-based travel agent was "splitting commissions" with Indian officials working for Immigration New Zealand.

He complained last year that agency officials in New Delhi were demanding bribes to process visas.

Mr Deobhakta has requested the Wellington CIB also re-opens its investigation into his earlier complaint. While trying to get a group of 47 Indians into New Zealand last year, Mr Deobhakta alleged that an immigration officer had demanded a $282,000 bribe to process their visas.

He was told by an Auckland woman, who claimed to have a relative in Immigration's New Delhi office, that the visa applications would fail unless he paid the officer $6000 per person.

Mr Deobhakta had made a secret recording of a conversation he had with the woman which he provided to Immigration New Zealand, and now to the Indian police.

"None of the people met the criteria for work permits, but despite this, the lady boasted she had a very good contact ... who had direct dealings with immigration officers in the office of Immigration New Zealand, New Delhi. She said that she would be getting her contact to arrange the work permits within days, not months," he said.

Mr Deobhakta said the Indian travel agent at the centre of his new complaint was also named by the woman in the same recording.

Immigration New Zealand says its New Delhi office had stringent audit and verification systems in place, and that all work was carried out under closed-circuit television and recorded.

"But people in India are not so stupid to be exchanging cash and bribes under closed-circuit TV in the office. They'd be doing it outside, at someone's home or over a meal," Mr Deobhakta said.

Mr Deobhakta claimed he paid the woman $100,000 to help with the agency's investigation.

But Immigration head Nigel Bickle said the matter was closed after investigations by the Department of Labour, which oversees Immigration, found no evidence.

Mr Bickle said the agency has no record of the new complaint.