Vanuatu report on illegal passport sales delivered to ministers

Transcript

A report into the illegal sale of Vanuatu passports has been delivered to Government ministers, with some promising to take action.

The report includes a list of people who have obtained false documents and are in the country illegally.

But there are doubts as to whether the Government will react, after already changing legislation and policies.

Alex Perrottet has more.

In 2011, a critical auditor's report into allegations of mismanagement and corrupt practices at the country's embassy in China called for major changes. The former ambassador to China at the time, and now Port Vila MP Willie Jimmy, says he never issued a visa or any travel document, but did receive complaints from China.

WILLIE JIMMY: When I was there we received a few complaints directly from the foreign affairs from China and also from Hong Kong and any application, I refused, when I was there. I have never stamped any application for any Chinese nationals.

Chinese nationals find Vanuatu visas attractive as they can use them to move to Hong Kong. Mr Jimmy says since he left China in 2012, there have been permanent residence visas issued, a practice he disagrees with. But the current charges d'affaires of the embassy in Beijing, Willie Toama, denies he issued any passports.

WILLIE TOAMA: Since I started being employed in the embassy as a diplomat we never issued any passport in the embassy. The power was not delegated to us. It was only the ministry of foreign affairs and the ministry of our immigration.

The press officer for the Opposition MPs, Jeff Batunvanu, says the opposition has received the address of a Chinese website that advertised Vanuatu visas, listing a contact email address. He didn't accuse any officials, but says the government needs to act immediately.

JEFF BATUNVANU: Yes, the Government should deal with this issue immediately because it can go out of hand and many people can buy a fake visa because it is not a genuine visa, the people are buying it now.

The Lands Minister, Ralph Regenvanu, says the council of ministers have yet to decide on the fate of the people in the country found to have obtained citizenship or documents outside due process.

RALPH REGENVANU: There's a list of those people, there's a list of other people who have been given diplomatic passports who should not have been because that is illegal, to obtain diplomatic passports. And so the government will now, having only received the report last week will consider what it is going to do and what measures it's going to take.

But Willie Jimmy doubts anything will happen, as he says many ministers employ non-citizens.

WILLIE JIMMY: I don't have any faith at all in Natapei to take any action on those who are labelled in the report to do illegal activities. I don't trust Mr Natapei, and his director general, Johnny Koanapo. Those people are coward and naive to take any action on those who acted illegally.

In November, the Vanuatu government changed the constitution to introduce a new level of citizenship for foreigners, saying it will raise revenue for the country, and tighten-up the processes for issuing visas.