Pubdate: Thu, 14 Oct 2004
Source: Toronto Sun (CN ON)
Copyright: 2004, Canoe Limited Partnership.
Contact:  http://www.canoe.com/NewsStand/TorontoSun/home.html
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/457
Author: Tom Godfrey, Toronto Sun
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/colombia.htm (Colombia)

GANGS EXPLOIT REFUGEE PLAN

Canada's world-famous refugee program has been penetrated by organized
crime rings in Colombia, immigration officials say. An investigation
is under way into the government- assisted refugee program in Bogota,
which Canadian embassy officials there say is being used by criminals
and druglords to come here as needy refugees.

Under the program, Canadian officials travel to camps abroad to select
refugees to come here.

"We have identified two organized fraud rings which affected about 40
to 50 applications," according to a manager of the visa office at the
Canadian embassy in Bogota.

"A Canadian-based officer would be more attuned to detect the fraud."

The diplomat's 2003 embassy report to his bosses in Ottawa was
obtained through an access of information request by lawyer Richard
Kurland.

The names of the officials involved were censored from the report.

The program, which has been recognized by the UN, has brought
thousands of refugees here in the past from Kosovo, Vietnam and elsewhere.

The diplomat said civil unrest in Colombia has posed security
concerns, and embassy officials now conduct interviews in bullet-proof
booths.

The diplomat said the embassy is plagued by Canadian officers who only
stay for four months and leave as soon as they are trained. The
embassy processes the largest amount of visas except for an office in
Buffalo.

"The program is very well-known around the world," Kurland said.

"There have been problems with it before."
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MAP posted-by: Larry Seguin