13 July 2009

Alleged New Zealand immigration fraud may be returned to China

A millionaire businessman may be returned to China before he can be tried in New Zealand on multiple charges of immigration fraud.

Yong Ming Yan, who is also known as Bill Liu, Yang Liu and William Yan, was arrested by police at Auckland Airport last month as he tried to leave New Zealand.

Yan was granted New Zealand citizenship in controversial circumstances after Government ministers ignored advice from officials.

He has yet to enter a plea to 12 charges relating to alleged false declarations, having false passports and using deception to gain New Zealand citizenship.

Yan was arrested and immigration charges that were prepared months ago were laid because police feared he was in the process of fleeing.

Yan was about to board a flight to Korea when arrested on June 27.

Yan became a New Zealand citizen under the name Yang Liu, but changed his name days later and was granted a passport in the name of William Yan. It was this passport he presented at Auckland Airport.

Passports he held in two other names were earlier seized by investigators.

Yan is wanted in China on allegations of multimillion-dollar fraud and of stealing the name of a Yang Liu by falsely registering his birth before fleeing China.

---

The New Zealand Visa Bureau is an independent consulting company specialising in helping people with New Zealand visas and emigration.