Man thanked garda official with €500 for false visa, court hears

A Chinese immigrant has told Dublin Circuit Criminal Court that he paid €500 to a former Garda National Immigration Bureau employee "to thank him" for issuing a fraudulent visa to his girlfriend.

A Chinese immigrant has told Dublin Circuit Criminal Court that he paid €500 to a former Garda National Immigration Bureau employee "to thank him" for issuing a fraudulent visa to his girlfriend.

John Kennedy (aged 69), Willow Crest, Trees Avenue, Mount Merrion, County Dublin has pleaded not guilty to six counts of receiving bribes of €500 as well as a bottle of wine and a meal voucher between December 2002 and January 2003 in return for issuing fraudulent visas.

Mr Li Yung Feng told prosecuting counsel, Mr Thomas O’Connell SC (with Mr Remy Farrell BL), he met Mr Kennedy in Bewley’s Restaurant on Grafton Street and gave him the money. "I wanted to thank him but I didn’t know what to buy him."

Speaking through an interpreter, Mr Li said the accused wouldn’t accept the money at first but when he forced it into his pocket he didn’t return it.

Mr Li said he had gone with his girlfriend to the Garda National Immigration Bureau to get her visa renewed but was told by an official she had not attended enough classes at the English language college she was registered in to qualify for a extension.

He said they approached Mr Kennedy who was a clerical officer there and asked him if he could help. He told them to go to another language school who would give them a letter saying she had attended enough classes.

Mr Li said he did this and they returned to the office where they received a visa from Mr Kennedy.

Mr Li said that following this he helped "seven or eight" Chinese students receive visas from Mr Kennedy in the period from December 2002 to January 2003.

He said the students would pay €1,600 to the language school named by Mr Kennedy for an attendance letter and he would get another €400 "because his friends wanted to thank him".

Garda Superintendent Pat Clavin, who had worked in the Bureau, told defence counsel, Mr John Rogers SC (with Mr Cormac Quinn BL), that there were problems with certain English language colleges who were issuing false letters and said some of them were "little more than a room with a computer and printer in it".

"There was a number of colleges we became aware of and we wouldn’t have accepted letters from these places," he told Mr Rogers.

The trial continues before Judge Desmond Hogan with a jury of six men and six women.

more courts articles

Man (25) in court charged with murdering his father and attempted murder of mother Man (25) in court charged with murdering his father and attempted murder of mother
Man appears in court charged with false imprisonment of woman in van Man appears in court charged with false imprisonment of woman in van
Man in court over alleged false imprisonment of woman Man in court over alleged false imprisonment of woman

More in this section

Irish homelessness Government criticised for missing social and affordable housing targets
National Risk Assessment for Ireland Tánaiste urges Israel ‘to show humanity’ and allow more aid into Gaza
Lego set based on RNLI lifeboat could soon become a reality Lego set based on RNLI lifeboat could soon become a reality
War_map
Cookie Policy Privacy Policy Brand Safety FAQ Help Contact Us Terms and Conditions

© Examiner Echo Group Limited