23 Nov 2022

Woman found guilty over role in false refugee claims

10:44 am on 23 November 2022
Nurul Noor Azman.

Nurul Noor Azman. Photo: RNZ / Lucy Xia

A woman involved in the lodging of fake refugee claims has been convicted on immigration fraud charges.

Nurul Noor Azman, 30, was found guilty of five charges of supplying false or misleading information to a refugee officer.

Immigration New Zealand welcomed the convictions at the Auckland District Court, describing the offending as cynical, manipulative and damaging to genuine refugees.

Her offending occurred in 2020 and was detected following an operation in the Bay of Plenty which was looking into allegations horticultural workers were being exploited.

Azman, who was working as an interpreter, charged workers up to $600 each to facilitate the fake claims.

She will be sentenced in February 2023.