Overstayer who claimed to be PM's pal admits passport scam

Fakanonoa Fonua

A Tongan overstayer who told Pacific Islanders he could get them New Zealand residency because he knew Prime Minister Helen Clark has admitted three charges.

Fakanonoa Fonua, 24, a Hastings packer, admitted two counts of obtaining by deception and one of using a reproduced document with intent to deceive.

The Hastings District Court was told yesterday how in October Fonua spoke with various groups of Pacific Islanders in Hawkes Bay, telling them he had "worked for Parliament" for five years and was a close friend of Helen Clark.

Fonua said that because of his relationship with Helen Clark he could gain residency for Pacific Islanders who were unlawfully in New Zealand or on a visitor's permit that was about to expire.

During the first week of November Fonua set up an office at a residential property in Hastings and offered jobs to three local Samoan residents.

Fonua arranged for name cards to be made up for the three, including a photograph of each person, the name of the company, their position and date of birth.

He also obtained copies of a Maori Party registration form and ensured the forms were passed on to Pacific Islanders in Hawkes Bay.

They were advised to complete the form and return it, after which they would meet with Fonua, who would purport to ring Helen Clark to discuss that particular person's supposed application for residency.

At the end of the call Fonua would tell the other person their application had been approved, and would request they deliver their passport to his office.

He told them the intention was to send the passport to Parliament for residency to be stamped, and that they were required to pay $500 a passport.

Police and Department of Labour staff went to Fonua's office on November 16. Fonua's three co-workers were spoken to and the address was searched.

Items including passports, Maori Party forms and other written material were taken from the address.

Fonua had left earlier that morning on a bus to Auckland, but gave himself up two days later at an Onehunga police station.

Judge Geoff Rea remanded Fonua in custody for a pre-sentence report and sentence on December 21.

It was later established that Fonua himself was an overstayer who had unlawfully been in New Zealand since 2002.

He is expected to be deported.

- NZPA