Asylum seekers living 'in fear'

Women and children seeking asylum are living in overcrowded and outdated centres where they fear for their safety and face intimidation and racism, it was claimed today.

An African women’s group maintained residents are sexually harassed and are in fear of private management firms who control the country’s 52 reception centres.

AkiDwA said almost 3,000 women and young girls live in reception centres while their application for asylum is being processed - some for up to six years.

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/breaking/2010/0325/breaking54.html

Mongolian woman gets suspended sentence for smuggling cigarettes

A Mongolian mature student has escaped deportation and has received a two-year suspended sentence for smuggling €12,400 of cigarettes into Ireland.

Batchullun Pureevjal (aged 33) with an address at College Gate, Townsend Street, Dublin 2, pleaded guilty to possessing 39,000 cigarettes in her luggage, with intent to defraud the State, at Dublin Airport on December 27, 2006.

http://www.breakingnews.ie/ireland/mongolian-mother-gets-suspended-sentence-for-smuggling-cigarettes-451221.html#ixzz0j8KkedEC

Egyptian fraudster removed from nurses' register

The High Court has ordered the removal of a nurse’s name from her professional body’s register over her conviction of a €730,000 insurance fraud arising from a false breast cancer claim.

Nurse Gehan Massoud (47) and her surgeon husband, Emad Massoud (54), were found guilty by a jury in March 2008 of defrauding two insurance companies through lodging false claims on the basis of a tissue sample from Mrs Massoud’s mother, who had just been diagnosed in Egypt as having breast cancer. They claimed the sample came from Gehan Massoud herself.

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/breaking/2010/0322/breaking63.html

Marriages of 200 non-EU men under investigation

GARDAI suspect bogus companies are being set up to provide fake employment credentials for eastern European women who are brought to Ireland to take part in arranged marriages. A number of companies are under investigation after gardai came across them during an operation aimed at clamping down on arranged marriages.

The emergence of the racket provides further evidence that organised gangs are "selling" brides who are citizens of the European Union to non-European men, so they can secure residency in Ireland through marriage.

The women are typically recruited in poorer eastern bloc countries and are offered money to come to Ireland to marry failed asylum seekers or former students from Asia whose visas have run out, according to garda sources.

http://www.independent.ie/national-news/marriages-of-200-noneu-men-under-investigation-2106276.html

South African gets 7 years for possessing cannabis

A MAN has received a seven-year prison sentence after a jury earlier this week found him guilty of having more than €134,000 worth of cannabis in October 2006.

The drugs were in a box from Pretoria, South Africa, marked books and printed matter which was intercepted by Customs.

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/ireland/2010/0320/1224266709532.html

An Post takes action over racist e-mail

AN POST has confirmed that it has begun disciplinary proceedings against a number of employees after a racist e-mail was circulated within the company.

The e-mail stated: “If you cross the North Korean border illegally, you get 12 years hard labour. If you cross the Iranian border illegally, you are detained indefinitely. If you cross the Afghan border, you’re shot. Saudi Arabian border you’ll get jailed. All sorts of terrible things will happen to you if you cross almost every other border except the Irish border.”

“If you cross the Irish border illegally you get a job, a driver’s licence, social insurance card, money from the social security, food stamps, credit cards, subsidised rent or a loan to buy a house, free education and free healthcare.”

Comparing the asylum system to a game show, it noted: “We’ve already given away hundreds of millions of euros . . . courtesy of the sponsor, the Irish taxpayer.”

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/ireland/2010/0313/1224266197979.html

17 failed asylum seekers deported

The deportation flight is the second to leave Dublin in a week bound for Lagos, Nigeria.

On March 3rd, 21 people were returned to Nigeria as part of an operation organised through EU agency Frontex, based in Warsaw.

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/ireland/2010/0312/1224266107706.html

Thousands of marriages 'illegal'

Thousands of foreign couples who married at their country’s embassies in the Republic over the past three years are being told their marriages are invalid and illegal.

The problem has sparked a diplomatic row between the Government and several EU states, which have asked Spain – current holder of the EU presidency – to mediate on their behalf. The decision by the Government also affects the citizens of non-EU states, whose embassies conduct marriage ceremonies.

Last week the General Register Office wrote to all foreign embassies informing them that marriages performed by diplomatic missions were not recognised as marriages unless they conformed to Irish law. The note said marriages would not be legal unless they were performed by an authorised registrar and took place in a registered building which was open to the public.

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/breaking/2010/0310/breaking32.html

Seven held over plot to kill cartoonist

Gardaí have arrested seven suspects in Waterford and Cork as part of an international investigation into an alleged plot to murder a cartoonist who drew images of the Prophet Muhammad.

The four men and three women - all of whom are foreign nationals – were arrested in a major search operation by Garda specialist units this morning.

The Irish Times understands most of those arrested are from Algeria, Croatia, Libya, the United States and Palestinian, and that they are legally resident in Ireland.

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/breaking/2010/0309/breaking40.html

Asylum services cost state €206m in 2008

THE cost to the state of delivering asylum services is expected to reach €206m for 2008 and less again for last year.

The Department of Justice has revealed that the out-turn for accommodation costs for the Reception and Integration Agency (RIA) for 2008 is €91.47m.

It is expected that this will fall when the final 2009 figure is calculated to closer to €86.5m.

http://www.irishexaminer.com/ireland/asylum-services-cost-state-euro206m-in-2008-ndash-but-bill-falling-113920.html#ixzz0hdC6S9mD

Congolese man jailed for importing cannabis

A Congolese national with Belgian citizenship has received a five-year sentence with three suspended for importing €17,800 of cannabis herb to Ireland.

Bonza Chigeragere (aged 28) with an address at Nicholas Avenue, Dublin 7 pleaded guilty to importation and possessing the drugs in his luggage at Dublin Airport on May 9, 2009.

http://www.breakingnews.ie/ireland/congolese-man-gets-five-years-for-importing-cannabis-448524.html#ixzz0h8Ypl4JD