A member of staff at the Department of Justice has resigned and now faces criminal charges after he was caught illegally selling tickets to immigrants which secured them same-day access to the visa renewal office.
The incident came to light at the end of last year when a Chinese woman and her Irish husband were offered a ticket for sale, realised the official was breaking the law and informed gardaí.
The man at the centre of the case worked at the department's immigration office at Burgh Quay, Dublin. A large queue forms at the office every morning as foreign nationals who already have visas to live and work here gather to have their visas extended or to get re-entry visas before leaving the jurisdiction for a period.
The queuing problem became so acute last year that staff decided to issue tickets every morning to those first in the queue. This ensured those who arrived earliest were seen to first. It also allowed those who were not given tickets to leave and come back the following day.
Because space in the office and access to immigration staff was at a premium, a 200 limit was put on the number of visa extensions that could be processed each day. Staff handed out 200 tickets to the waiting crowd at 8am every day.
However, it has now transpired that one staff member who was sometimes responsible for handing out the tickets was holding some back. He was then waiting until the crowd had dispersed and selling the spare tickets to people who arrived late. He was demanding €30 for each ticket.
He offered a ticket to the Chinese woman last December, when many foreign nationals called to the office to get re-entry visas allowing them back into the country after Christmas breaks in their home countries.
The woman wrote down the serial number of a €50 note and paid the official for a ticket with the note. When gardaí arrested him at his office later that day he was carrying the note. He was suspended but resigned almost immediately. He now faces criminal charges and is due to appear before the courts in coming weeks. Informed sources said that while the man had been detected selling one ticket, it was suspected he had been engaged in similar activity for some time.
