A Samoan national has been sentenced to four years in prison for exploiting migrants and bribing an immigration official.
The Auckland District Court handed down the sentence today after the individual pleaded guilty to multiple charges, including aiding and abetting breaches of visa conditions, exploitation of unlawful migrants, and corruption of a public official. The court also ordered the payment of $4,000 in reparations to the victims.
Between 2014 and 2021, the offender frequently traveled to Samoa to recruit workers for their New Zealand-based painting business. Michael Carley, Acting General Manager of Immigration Compliance & Investigation, stated, “Workers were lured to New Zealand under the offer to make money that they can send to their families in Samoa.”
The individual facilitated visitor visas for these workers, often covering visa fees and airfares. Carley noted, “The individual would then either directly or indirectly through extended family or friends, sponsor a worker’s visitor visa and manage the process of applying for visas through Immigration New Zealand.”
In some instances, employees were instructed to place cash in papers when attending the Samoa Immigration New Zealand office to influence officials. The workers, not lawfully entitled to work in New Zealand, were employed beyond their visa conditions, with some remaining unlawfully after their visas expired.
Employees worked over 40 hours per week for a daily rate of $100, below the minimum wage, without holiday or sick pay, payslips, or employment agreements. Accommodation was arranged through an associate, who is awaiting sentencing.
This sentencing concludes a five-year investigation initiated in 2020 following a Crimestoppers complaint. Carley emphasized, “The callous exploitation of vulnerable migrants and the corruption of public officials is not just unethical – it’s criminal.”
