Expat admits living in country without visa for 3 years

AN Australian who has been married to a woman from Gabagaba village, Central, admitted in court yesterday that he had been living in the country without a visa for three years. Dean Edward Oliver, 54, charged with living in the country without a visa under the Immigration Act, will return to court today for sentencing. Magistrate Danny Wakikura heard submissions on sentence from Oliver’s lawyer Agnes Peter of Public Solicitors Office and police prosecutor Felix Singo. Singo submitted that Oliver should pay a maximum penalty of K5,000 for the breach. “Having married here, he should know our laws very well,” he said. Singo said the aggravating factors were that Oliver had been in the country without a visa and had no regard for PNG law. Peter submitted that Oliver had admitted to having lived illegally in PNG because he had been misled by three individuals who claimed to be Immigration officers. “My client paid K10,000 to the three officers to help him renew his visa but nothing had happened and since he went broke after paying those officers, he never fixed his visa,” she said. Peter argued that her client should not pay the maximum penalty fee because he had not committed the worst type of offence, thus did not warrant a maximum penalty.