Corrupt immigration officer jailed

A senior Immigration Department officer received free overseas holidays and business-class airfaires for approving more than 100 applications for illegal Chinese immigrants.

David John Moon, 69, was sentenced to nine months' jail for receiving financial benefits for fast-tracking and approving 110 immigration applications between 1996 and 2000, which he knew did not meet the Australian Government requirements for obtaining citizenship.

The illegal immigrants included members of 40 families who paid an associate of Moon between $A10,000 and $US100,000 to have their applications assessed, the District Court heard.

The associate, George Ling, would then reward Moon with free overseas trips, which the Crown estimated to be worth $120,000, including one trip on which he took his family to New York, Los Angeles, Las Vegas and Hong Kong.

The scam was discovered when an audit of Department of Immigration files revealed that a large number of missing application files had all been determined by Moon, the court heard.

Moon tipped Ling off to the investigation and Ling fled overseas but was extradited to Australia in March 2006. He pleaded guilty to his part in the scam and will be sentenced tomorrow.

In sentencing Moon, Judge Colin Charteris said that, for a man of "second tier seniority" at the Immigration Department, the offence was a serious breach of trust that had been motivated by greed.

"It is common ground that Mr Moon received those benefits on the understanding that he would corruptly approve the applications," Judge Charteris said.

"What is evident is that the offender dealt with many of the applications in an extremely hasty manner [and] in some instances applications were lodged on one day and granted the following day by the offender."

Judge Charteris said Australia was a country where corruption was not an everyday event and he described Moon's actions as "appalling".

"Australians value their citizenship. It is not something for this offender or anyone to trade away by corrupt behaviour."

The maximum sentence for the offences was four years' jail.

However Moon's sentenced was reduced to 18 months in prison with a non-parole period of nine months, to compensate for a significant delay in bringing the matter to court.

Moon, who wore a grey tweed suit jacket, sat in the dock with his eyes downcast throughout most of the proceedings.

Following his sentencing he turned and smiled at family members who sat in court.