CANBERRA, May 23 (Xinhua) -- Two staff at the Australian High Commission in Pretoria, South Africa have been sacked after they illegally sold visas to Nigerian nationals.
The Home Affairs Department confirmed on Tuesday night that two "non-citizens" working at the High Commission had been dismissed following a "high-level" investigation which revealed that at least 21 Nigerians received Australian student visas.
The investigation found that locally-engaged staff in Pretoria had been paid to approve visas to Nigerians.
The visas, processed between February and April last year, were "identified by the department as being tainted by the corrupt conduct of the department officers," according to a recent Administrative Appeals Tribunal (AAT) decision.
Officials were accused of bypassing mandatory checks and granting visas within days to people deemed by Australia as high-risk.
The racket was discovered by the Home Affairs Department, which then identified a link between offshore nationals engaging in criminal activity and visas granted by a department officer working at the High Commission in Pretoria.
The Home Affairs Department has cancelled the visa of at least one Nigerian, in Australia on a student visa, on the basis of the permit had been obtained as a result of the fraudulent conduct.
Home Affairs said it took all allegations of misconduct and corruption seriously. "Robust action is taken against individuals where corrupt conduct is identified," a spokeswoman said.
News Ltd reported on Wednesday that it is not the first time the High Commission in Pretoria has come under investigation for corruption.
In about 2010, the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade's conduct and ethics unit and passport fraud section travelled to London to find a former South African employee accused of stealing Australian passports.
