Michael Woodhouse - Immigration

8 November 2018

Immigration Minister Iain Lees-Galloway has confirmed he took just hours to decide to allow convicted drug dealer and gang associate Karel Sroubek to stay in New Zealand, without consideration of the facts, National’s Immigration spokesperson Michael Woodhouse says.

“Mr Lees-Galloway has arrogantly refused to reveal the evidence upon which he made this appalling decision to grant Mr Sroubek residency, saying it was not in the public interest. He insisted it was a complicated decision not taken lightly.

“The Prime Minister even went as far as saying Mr Lees-Galloway ‘shared with me the careful consideration that he gave this case… it was clearly a very difficult decision’.

“Only clearly it wasn’t.

“Mr Lees-Galloway decided to grant New Zealand residency to a drug dealing gang associate who was previously accused of a crime which saw a witness and his family placed in witness protection, on the same afternoon he received the file for consideration.

“Mr Lees Galloway has confirmed his first consideration of Mr Sroubek’s application to cancel his deportation was at 4.30pm on September 19. The decision was made that same afternoon, with a letter to Mr Sroubek’s lawyer confirming the decision dated that same day.

“The evidence is now overwhelming. Mr Lees-Galloway didn’t do his job. He made a decision to make New Zealanders less safe in less time than it takes to play a game of rugby.

“It is now clear he made that call without asking questions and without proper consideration of the facts or the track record of the convicted criminal he was allowing to stay. Mr Sroubek needs to go and Mr Lees-Galloway does too.”

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