Media response
24 May 2013

Woman sentenced to home detention for immigration scam in Tongan community

A woman, who took advantage of vulnerable people in an immigration scam, has been sentenced to community detention, community work and ordered to repay her victims.

Khadijah Lolohea (also known as Khadijah Piu) appeared at Auckland District Court yesterday (23 May 2013) after admitting nine counts of providing immigration advice without a licence in February 2013.

A multi-agency investigation, led by the Immigration Advisers Authority, found the 38-year-old from Mt Roskill, Auckland had amassed more than $6,000 from 13 migrants.

Authority Registrar, Barry Smedts, commended the victims for coming forward. Many were in the country unlawfully and had to trust that the Immigration Advisers Authority was separate from Immigration New Zealand and had no powers to deport them.

He said: “It took a great deal of courage for people to come to us. Sadly, this is not the first time migrants have been taken in by unlicensed people. The reality is there are several places to go for reliable immigration advice: licensed immigration advisers, lawyers and Citizens Advice Bureaux. We have a complete list in our Tongan translated Immigration Advice Consumer Guide”

Her defence counsel said Ms Lolohea suffered from a mental illness, expressed remorse and had not excessively profited from the crimes.

In sentencing, Judge Singh told Ms Lolohea: “It is clear to me that each one of your victims has suffered considerably as a result of your offending. They have parted with money or goods. They have suffered mental stress and it has also caused family disruption for each of them. Some of them still have families abroad. They have suffered financial loss and have understandably been very angry with your offending. Some of them also have physical medical conditions which make them very vulnerable. In fact, the victims have generally been ripped off especially when they were most vulnerable expecting to come to this country.”

Ms Lolohea was sentenced to six months community detention and 150 hours of community work. Reparation had already been paid to one victim and the Judge ordered that reparation be paid to her other victims.

Anyone wishing to order copies of the Immigration Advice Consumer Guide available in Tongan, Samoan, Chinese or English can contact the Immigration Advisers Authority free from New Zealand on 0508 422 422 or by emailing info@iaa.govt.nz.

Anyone wishing to discuss their immigration situation can contact Immigration New Zealand on 09 914 4100. Those that do not speak English can ask for a translator.

ENDS

Notes to editor

The Immigration Advisers Authority was set up in May 2008 to regulate immigration advice both nationally and internationally.

It is responsible for:
• licensing of immigration advisers.
• receiving complaints about licensed and unlicensed immigration advisers.
• investigating people giving immigration advice without a licence.
• maintaining an online register of licensed immigration advisers.

Under the Immigration Advisers Licensing Act 2007 only those people who are licensed or exempt are able to give immigration advice about New Zealand. A person who provides immigration advice without being licensed or exempt commits an offence.

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