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Alleged unlicensed adviser faces 91 charges
Media release
11 January 2012
Richard James Martin stood before the courts on 34 Crimes Act charges of forgery and 34 Immigration Act charges of providing false and misleading information to an immigration officer after an investigation by Immigration New Zealand (INZ).
The 46-year-old from Greenhithe entered no plea to the charges when he appeared in the Waitakere District Court on 20 December 2011. He was remanded on bail until 10 January 2012. The charges relate to visa applications made to INZ by Richard Martin Immigration Ltd of North Shore.
Each Crimes Act charge carries a maximum penalty of 10 years’ imprisonment, while the Immigration Act charges have a maximum of seven years’ imprisonment and/or a fine of $100,000.
Mr Martin is also appearing for trial in September 2012 at Auckland District Court on 23 charges laid by the Immigration Advisers Authority.
These include:
- 11 charges of asking for or receiving fees for immigration advice when neither licensed nor exempt
- Nine charges of providing immigration advice when neither licensed nor exempt
- Two charges of forgery
- One charge of holding out as an immigration adviser when neither licensed nor exempt.
The alleged offences, some of which took place under the company name of Richard Martin Immigration Ltd, took place between May 2009 and 2010.