Former Department of Justice employee gets 18 months for part in scam

A former Department of Justice employee has been jailed for 18 months for his role in a scam where visa extensions were issued to immigrant students in return for bribes.

Dara Revins (aged 28), who made €20,000 from the scheme, worked in the Garda Immigration Bureau issuing visas to Chinese students who had come to Ireland to study English.

His co-accused, Bin Yang (aged 26), referred students who didn’t met the conditions for a visa extension to Revins.

A warrant was issued for Yang on March 6, last after he failed to appear for his sentence hearing.

Revins, of Windmill Road, Crumlin would give them the extension and was paid up to €1,500 by Yang for each student. The students, all Chinese nationals, would pay Yang up to €4,000 for putting them in touch with Revins.

Judge Katherine Delahunt at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court said that "since the foundation of the State, this country has been served, in the main, very well by its public servants and the community at large should be able to trust these people who have been put in a position to protect their interests."

She said that Revins had "grossly abused the trust placed in him simply for money."

Judge Delahunt accepted that Revins's abuse of alcohol at the time may have led to his involvement in the offence but noted that he still has not dealt with his addiction.

Inspector Maura Walsh told Mr Dominic McGinn BL, prosecuting, that Yang of Belton Park Gardens, Donnycarney, put a advertisement in a Chinese community newspaper offering to "help do any problems with visas".

Insp Walsh explained that immigrant students require a class attendance rate of over 85% to qualify for a visa extension but many could not met this because they had to take on jobs. Instead they would contact Yang who would get Revins to issue an extension.

Insp Walsh said it was a "highly lucrative" scam with both men making up to €20,000 in total. She said Revins was caught when officials became suspicious of his work and carried out an examination of his bank account.

Gardai searched his home on June 17, 2005 and found two Chinese passports which Revins later admitted he was going to stamp in return for bribes. After his arrest he admitted several cases in interview where he had taken bribes in return for visas. Yang was arrested on the same day and also admitted his part.

Revins pleaded guilty to three counts of accepting bribes in return for showing favour to others between December 1, 2004 and June 17, 2005. Yang pleaded guilty to five charges of bribing Revins between the same dates.

Insp Walsh agreed with Mr Bernard Condon BL, defending Revins, that he was "not the sharpest person" and was easily led. She said he had been introduced to Yang through his housemate, but that he had not been prosecuted.

Mr Condon said his client had serious problems with alcohol and came from a good family in Tipperary. He said he had lived and worked in New Zealand after the incident but had come back to Ireland voluntarily to face the charges. Both he and Yang have no previous convictions.

Insp. Walsh further agreed with Mr Remy Farrell BL, defending Yang, that he will most likely be deported back to China when this case is finished. She said the Chinese community has a different relationship with corruption than Irish people and some assume "the wheels have to be greased".

Mr Condon told Judge Delahunt that it was obvious that his client was a "man of ability but one who also faces a challenge in trying to control his alcohol addiction".

He asked her to take into account the fact that he had come to court to "face the consequences of his actions" and now was the only one involved in the scam that had done so.

Mr Condon said his client acknowledges that it was a serious offence that had represented a breach of trust but asked the court to accept Insp Walsh’s testimony that Revins’s involvement had been at the lower end of the scale.