K2,000 for visa breach

AN Australian who admitted to living in the country with his local wife for three years without a visa was fined K2,000 in default 10 weeks jail by the Waigani Grade 5 Court yesterday.Magistrate Danny Wakikura ordered Dean Edward Oiliver to pay the fine within two weeks or be jailed.“According to Section 16 (1) of the Immigration Act, the maximum penalty is K5,000 fine or a maximum six months jail,” he said.“You have seriously committed an offence in this country. “But since you are a first-time offender, I will reserve the maximum penalty for repeat offenders.”Oliver’s K500 bail was converted as part settlement of the court fine with the balance of K1,500 to be settled.“You have not raised any valid legal defence and that is sufficient for me to impose a penalty,” Magistrate Wakikura said.“You have three months to sort your legal documents. “If your documents go missing, then you should have sought help from the authorities before you were arrested.“It appears that you paid K10,000 to people to help you. “We do not know whether those were the right people or not. “Therefore, K2,000 fine would be an appropriate fine.”Oliver, who has been married to a woman from Gabagaba village in Central, was picked up at the village by the Police trans-national crime unit on May 19.He admitted that he had been in the country since 2009, but said his visa went missing in March.