9 Oct 2019

Immigration lawyer's warning after Sroubek report released

From Checkpoint, 6:12 pm on 9 October 2019

An immigration lawyer is warning against giving officials more power following the release of a report today into how convicted Czech drug smuggler Karel Sroubek was granted residency. The report by Mike Heron QC recommends future decisions should only go to the Immigration Minister as a last resort, and in those circumstances, the Minister should expect free and frank advice. The Minister, Iain Lees-Galloway, came under fire for his decision to grant Karel Sroubek residency, a decision which he later reversed after the Opposition began drip-feeding information about Sroubek's chequered past. Hamish Cardwell spoke to lawyer Richard Small who says it's a bad idea to change policy based on high-profile cases like Sroubek's.