Corrupt or incompetent? | Corrupt and Fraudulent Practices

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Corrupt or incompetent?

Friday, 21 November 2008

By Ian Wishart, Editor, TGIF Edition

The career of high-flying Labour MP Shane Jones looks dead in the water tonight with revelations he awarded citizenship to a Chinese migrant despite an explicit official warning that the man was still under an ongoing “criminal investigation” by NZ authorities.

The revelations are contained in devastating new documents released on the former Minister’s decision to grant citizenship to Labour party political donor and wanted Chinese criminal, Yang Liu.

Additionally, it’s just been revealed that Labour’s then Ethnic Affairs Minister Chris Carter also lobbied in favour of Yang Liu, after receiving a $5,000 donation.

TGIF Edition has been given a copy of the file that Associate Immigration Minister Shane Jones considered before deciding to award the Chinese businessman citizenship back in August.

The Internal Affairs Department file, released under the Official Information Act tonight and slugged "Confidential”, shows Jones was explicitly warned by his Department that Liu – real name Yongming Yan – was still under “active…criminal investigation” at that moment, and that the citizenship application should be “DECLINED”.

In a covering letter to the Minister, Geoff May of Internal Affairs wrote on 14 July this year:

“The applicant does not clearly meet…the good character requirement” of the Citizenship Act.

“Mr Liu remains the subject of an Interpol wanted to arrest in China ‘red notice’ for allegedly committing serious financial fraud…

“Mr Liu remains the subject of an active Immigration New Zealand Fraud Branch criminal investigation concerning his true identity.

“It is alleged that Mr Liu has fraudulently obtained and used Chinese identity documents relating to another identity including obtaining two false passports.

“An Immigration New Zealand search warrant has been executed to seize Mr Liu’s Chinese passports and other identity documents which were held by the Department of Internal Affairs whilst his application was being processed.

“As a result of the seizure of his passport Mr Liu claims he is ‘stateless’ although he has provided no evidence to support his belief.

“On two separate occasions Hon Dover Samuels MP has written to you in support of Mr Liu’s application.

“Hon Pansy Wong MP has written. to you in support of Mr Liu’s application.

“Hon Chris Carter, Minister for Ethnic Affairs has written in support of Mr Liu’s application.”

Particularly difficult for Labour MP and Newstalk ZB commentator Shane Jones to explain is the next paragraph in the Internal Affairs briefing paper, suggesting Yang Liu had set off multiple crime alarms:

“Despite remaining under multi-agency inter-governmental investigations Mr Liu has requested that you consider his application at this time,” wrote the IAD’s Geoff May.

“It is considered that Mr Liu does not meet the good character requirement and is not eligible for the grant of citizenship.”

Why was Liu so keen for his application to go before a Labour cabinet minister ahead of the election,
even given the mounting evidence against him, and why was Liu seemingly so confident his citizenship
would be granted?

These are questions TGIF Edition would like to ask Labour’s Shane Jones, but he refuses to take our calls.

When former Prime Minister Helen Clark was questioned on the campaign trail about the Yang Liu case, she was quick to reveal the man wanted in connection with a quarter-billion dollar fraud [the Internal Affairs documents wrongly identified only a fraction of the total amount] in China had donated $5,000 to

Labour’s Ethnic Affairs Minister, Chris Carter. But Clark was quick to add that Liu had donated to National as well. Clark did not disclose to the press gallery that Carter had also written a letter of support on Liu’s behalf this year.

Despite the political show of support for Liu behind the scenes, the Internal Affairs Department issued a recommendation that cabinet minister Shane Jones could not have failed to see:

“It is recommended you DECLINE [their emphasis] the grant of New Zealand citizenship to Mr Yang Liu.”
Right below it, however, Jones crossed out the bold capitalised word “DECLINED” and instead ticked the box “APPROVED”.

Just three days later, the man’s citizenship was conferred in a special ceremony at parliament giving him an official New Zealand identity under a false name, Yang Liu.

But that’s just the covering document. The larger file sent to Jones, accompanying the recommendation
to “DECLINE”, was even more damning…

This is an advance of part of the lead story in tonight’s TGIF Edition.Subscribe to TGIF

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