Overstayer goes voluntarily to authorities

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 as a refugee.

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

She said had Ghanbari been hunted down by immigration authorities he would have been held in custody.

The Iranian had been under immense pressure after the media found him but Immigration could not, Ms O'Sullivan said.

"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 service officials had not discussed with Ghanbari where he had been hiding. They had talked about travel arrangements and Ghanbari would go as soon as the Iranian Embassy supplied travel documents.

She could not say when he would leave.

"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.

Ghanbari had agreed through his lawyer to report daily.

The Iranian 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 that 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