A FORMER Department of Justice employee and a Chinese national will be sentenced in March for their role in a scam whereby visa extensions were issued to immigrant students in return for bribes.
Dara Revins (28) worked in the Garda National Immigration Bureau issuing visas to Chinese students who had come to Ireland to study English. His co-accused, Bin Yang (26), referred students who did not meet the conditions for a visa extension to Revins.
Revins, Windmill Road, Crumlin, Dublin, but originally from Co Tipperary, would give them the extension and was paid up to €1,500 by Yang for each student. The students, all Chinese nationals, would pay Yang up to €4,000 for putting them in touch with Revins.
Det Sgt Maura Walsh said Yang, Belton Park Gardens, Donnycarney, put an advertisement in a Chinese community newspaper offering to “help do any problems with visas”. She explained that immigrant students require a class attendance rate of more than 85 per cent to qualify for a visa extension but many could not meet this as they had to take on jobs as well. Instead they would contact Yang, who would get Revins to issue an extension.
Det Sgt Walsh said it was a “highly lucrative” scam with both men making up to €20,000 in total. She said Revins was caught when officials became suspicious of his work and carried out an examination of his bank account.
Both Revins and Yang admitted their role in the scam after they were arrested in June 2005.
Judge Katherine Delahunt adjourned sentencing until March, when she will hear a full plea on behalf of the men.