Sex-case officer has immigration consultancy

By ANGELA GREGORY

An immigration officer who was sacked last year for asking sexual favours from a woman seeking residency is now working as an immigration consultant.

When contacted yesterday the man denied he was the former immigration officer concerned. He admitted he had resigned from the service but would not say why.

He denied any knowledge of the case and hung up the phone.

However a spokeswoman for the service, Kathryn O'Sullivan, confirmed the officer sacked in February last year was now working as a consultant.

Ms O'Sullivan said that "raises an issue" of who could practise as a consultant, but nothing prevented him from operating.

The Government was looking at regulating consultants, she said.

Last year the service was criticised for not referring the young woman's complaint to the police as evidence of corruption.

Instead, it dealt with the matter internally as a sexual harassment case.

The official had denied the allegations but was dismissed on what the service called the "balance of probabilities".

He started a personal grievance proceeding but Ms O'Sullivan said it was never lodged.