Australian citizen jailed for identity fraud 04-07-2013 - A Sri Lankan-born man was jailed for three-months in Melbourne today for supplying false information in his application for permanent residence and subsequent Australian citizenship. The Department of Immigration and Citizenship (DIAC) successfully prosecuted Surendran Rajendran, who hid his true identity and background when applying for a visa to Australia. A department spokesman said Rajendran was charged with offences under the Migration Act 1958, Citizenship Act 1948 and other breaches of Commonwealth law. “In 2007, this man made claims to DIAC that he was another person and was subsequently granted permanent residence through the general skilled migration program, and then Australian citizenship in 2010,” the spokesman said. “DIAC later learned that documentation supplied to support his claimed identity was falsified.” Rajendran received a three-month prison sentence for the offences in Dandenong Magistrates’ Court today. His case follows the successful prosecution of a convicted drug trafficker, Van Son Nguyen, who was sentenced to six months’ jail on June 28 for similar offences. Over the past 14 months, 10 individuals have been successfully prosecuted for offences relating to identity fraud used to subvert immigration channels. Immigration continues to develop specialised capabilities in biometrics, facial recognition, document examination and fingerprint analysis to assist with the investigation of identity fraud. “Where DIAC becomes aware of fraud, the matters are fully investigated and can result in both criminal and administrative penalties,” the spokesman said. “A person using a false identity to obtain a visa or Australian citizenship may be the subject of a criminal investigation, have their visa cancelled or their citizenship revoked.” The department works closely with other government agencies, both federal and state, to assist in the identification and prosecution of these people.
Posted on: Thu, 04 Jul 2013 08:15:10 +0000
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