Chinese man involved in visa scam jailed for two and a half years

A Chinese man who bribed a former Department of Justice employee to issue visa extensions to immigrant students in a "highly lucrative scam" has been jailed for two and a half years at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court.

Bin Yang (aged 26) referred Chinese students who had come to Ireland to study English but didn’t met the conditions for a visa extension to Dara Revins (aged 28), who worked in the Garda Immigration Bureau.

Yang, of Belton Park Gardens, Donnycarney, received up to €4,000 from the students for putting them in touch with Revins. Revins, of Windmill Road, Crumlin, would give them the extension and was paid up to €1,500 by Yang for each student.

Revins was jailed for 18 months for his role on March 16 last but Yang failed to appear for sentencing on that date and a bench warrent issued for his arrest. He was arrested this morning in Deansgrange.

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 inciting another to commit an offence and four counts of bribing Revins between the same dates.

Defence counsel, Mr Remy Farrell BL, said Yang had failed to appear for sentencing on the last date due to "a family situation" and had "put his head in the sand" until his arrest today.

Mr Farrell told Judge Katherine Delahunt that some parts of the Chinese community have a "very different cultural attitude" to corruption than Irish people and assume "the wheels have to be greased".

Judge Delahunt said Yang was "higher up the ladder" in this offence then Revins and imposed a two-and-a-half-year sentence. She said the possibility of deporting Yang on completion of his sentence was a matter for the Government.

Inspector Maura Walsh told Mr Dominic McGinn BL, prosecuting, that Yang 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.

Gardaí searched Revins’ home on June 17, 2005 and found two Chinese passports, which Revins later admitted he was going to stamp in return for bribes. Yang was arrested on the same day and also admitted his part.

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 a house mate.

Mr Farrell said Yang was a married father of two who had been living in Ireland for a number of years. He said Yang had to surrender his passport after he was charged and due to his irregular status was unable to work.

He said the family had been living on the difference between rent they received from tenants in rooms in their own home and the mortgage on the house.

Mr Farrell asked Judge Delahunt to take into account that Yang had been convicted largely on his own admissions because there had been no "paper trail" leading to him as there had been to Revins.