An Indian man who offered a police officer NZ$200 to let him off drink-driving will be deported.
27-year-old G. Singh will be deported to India, a recently released Immigration and Protection Tribunal decision states. Singh, who arrived in New Zealand in 2014, was caught driving with double the legal amount of alcohol in his blood in May 2019.
Singh, an essential skills work visa holder, pleaded with the police officer to discontinue the process and offered $200. The police officer refused.
Singh was convicted in February this year. He was sentenced to six months home detention, ordered to pay $170 in reparation, and disqualified from driving for six months.
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He was also served with a deportation liability notice as Immigration New Zealand “was not satisfied he was of good character in light of this offending”.
Singh had appealed against his deportation order to the tribunal on humanitarian grounds.
His parents and two sisters remained in India. His appeal included a statement from his current employer about the importance of his work and references from work colleagues and friends.
The tribunal noted Singh had been in New Zealand for almost seven years. However, it said his qualifications, work experience and other community involvement was “no more than modest”.
The tribunal also observed that while Singh was “remorseful” for his offending and had no other convictions, the seriousness of his offending “would have weighed heavily against any humanitarian circumstances that he had.”
Singh’s appeal was declined. Instead, on 11 June, he was granted a three-month work visa to “get his affairs in order” to return to India.
