Somali woman faces deportation after refugee lie

A Somali woman is behind bars, facing deportation, after she lied to gain refugee status in New Zealand and then tried to bring in a family member.

Hani Osman, 24, was found guilty by a Christchurch District Court jury yesterday of 13 charges of fraud and false statements for claiming asylum in New Zealand when she had already been given refuge in Holland.

Osman arrived in Christchurch on her Dutch passport in 1999 on a holiday visa but then adopted the identity of Nasra Mohamed Munye and claimed to have been brought to New Zealand from Kenya by people smugglers.

She was granted refugee status which allowed her to get medical help, claim a benefit, and attend Papanui High School, then tertiary courses in radiology, business, and tourism.

At the time the fraud was uncovered two years ago, she was in the process of sponsoring the immigration to New Zealand of a man in Kenya she claimed was her brother.

Prosecutor Pip Currie said Osman lied to exploit the benefits New Zealand granted to those fleeing fear and oppression when the reality was she had already spent 10 years in safety in Holland before arriving in Christchurch.

Osman gave evidence denying she was Osman, claiming instead she was a genuine refugee who was "becoming more of a Kiwi every day -- I watch Shortland Street".

Ms Currie, however, called a forensic anthropologist who compared Osman's photograph in her Dutch passport and two photographs given in Munye's refugee application. All three featured an identical scar around her eye and she was declared to be the same person.

Ms Currie also challenged Osman's story as fiction, claiming she gave inconsistent answers about her age, her and her father's birthday, and the number of brothers and sisters she had.

The jury deliberated for less than three hours before finding her guilty.

Judge David Saunders remanded Osman in custody for sentence next month.

- NZPA