Written by Katie Llanos-Small

Katie Llanos-Small is the founding editor of foreign-correspondence.com. She graduated from the University of Auckland (New Zealand) in 2005, with a degree in Political Studies and Latin American Studies. She also studied Chinese (Mandarin) and Arabic at university. Recently Katie spent a year studying advanced Spanish and teaching English in Madrid. Currently she is studying towards a Graduate Diploma of Journalism from the Auckland University of Technology. Her main areas of interest include global migration and refugee issues and the politics of underdevelopment.

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False passport? You’re grounded!

By Katie Llanos-Small, March 21st, 2008

The sentence: six months home detention
The crime: coming to New Zealand on a false passport, and using a false name (and, one would presume, false documentation) to apply for citizenship and a New Zealand passport.
Now, I’m no Sensible Sentencing Trust fanatic, but to me this story just doesn’t add up.

A Ukranian guy who came to New Zealand in 2004 with a false passport was sentenced to 3 years in jail (on appeal reduced to 18months). In 1997 a woman arrived with a false Dutch passport and claimed refugee status - even she was given three months jail.

The Department of Internal Affairs tells us that passport forgery “ is not worth the risk - don’t try it you will be caught“. But it seems that if you have the right connections, then getting caught doesn’t even land you in much trouble.

What is this guy still doing in New Zealand?
What are we not being told in this story??

Other posts by Katie Llanos-Small


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