An interpreter has pleaded not guilty to involvement in what immigration officials believe was an organised scheme involving more than 150 false claims for asylum.
Nurul Noor Azman faces five charges under the Immigration Act of providing false or misleading information to a refugee officer.
The interpreter's name suppression has lapsed and he is due for jury trial in November.
RNZ [https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/469583/asylum-fraud-probe-into-158-claims-interpreter-charged
revealed last week that Immigration New Zealand (INZ) launched an investigation] after finding "striking similarities" in asylum claims from some Indonesian and Malaysian people already in New Zealand.
Immigration officials believe 158 cases are part of the same group, which it says appears to be "a deliberate scheme to exploit New Zealand's refugee and protection system".
Most of the asylum seekers claimed that without refugee status to protect them, they would face retribution from loan sharks in Indonesia and Malaysia.
All except 13 of the refugee applications thought to be in the same cohort have since been withdrawn or dismissed. Two were successful for reasons unconnected with claims of moneylenders extorting money and 11 are still to be decided.
Some had used identical wording to outline their fear of being attacked if they returned home, and they all lived in the same New Zealand city, including some at the same address, and all had the same legal representative.
"The claims of harm bore...
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