Iranian overstayer gives himself up

12.30pm

One of the country's most wanted overstayers has surrendered to immigration authorities and will be expelled as soon as his travel documents can be finalised.

Iranian Saied Ghanbari has been on the run for 18 months since he exhausted all avenues to stay in New Zealand as a refugee.

Today, he approached immigration authorities in Auckland with his lawyer and was allowed to stay out of custody until he left the country provided he reported regularly, Immigration Services spokeswoman Kathryn O'Sullivan told NZPA.

She said because he handed himself in he would not be held in custody until he left. Had he been hunted down by immigration authorities he would have been held in custody.

Ms O'Sullivan said Ghanbari was under immense pressure after he was found by some Auckland media but could not be found by immigration officials.

"We have been looking at going around to all the people he knows, his family, different members of the community and I think he realised he didn't really have any options but to depart the country."

She said they had not discussed where he had been hiding. They had discussed travel arrangements and Ghanbari would go as soon as the Iranian Embassy had supplied travel documents.

She could not say when he would leave New Zealand.

"Since he agreed to co-operate in leaving New Zealand, we have a reporting system. He will tell us where he is and his address and he won't be kept in custody but he will need to report to us," Ms O'Sullivan said.

She said he had agreed through his lawyer to report daily.

Ghanbari embarrassed the service by being interviewed live on television last week from a secret location at the same time as Immigration Minister Paul Swain, who was in the Beehive.

Mr Swain told Ghanbari then he would get "no second chances".

Ghanbari said he had been in New Zealand eight years, had a business, had done nothing wrong and had always paid his taxes.

- NZPA