Posted by By Francis Obinor on
FOLLOWING a tip-off by a member of the public, the British High Commission has dismissed an entry clearance assistant in its consular section for visa malpractice.
FOLLOWING a tip-off by a member of the public, the British High Commission has dismissed an entry clearance assistant in its consular section for visa malpractice.
Graeme Bannatyne, Press and Public Affairs Officer at the High Commission, yesterday said that the High Commissioner, Mr. Richard Gozney, appealed to prospective visa applicants to report unauthorised "approaches made during the visa process".
"We operate a zero tolerance interference policy within our visa operations in Abuja and Lagos. Any allegation of visa interference against named workers will be thoroughly investigated and appropriate actions taken. The dismissal demonstrates that we will not allow our good names to be tarnished".
He added: "If any Nigerian applicant for a UK visa has information about similar cases, the British High Commission is keen to hear from him".
The High Commission has equally promised to assist the Nigerian Police in any criminal proceeding that may be brought against the suspected visa fraudster.
The suspect was relieved of his duties after an investigation into certain allegations leveled against him.
A High Commission disciplinary hearing found him guilty of gross misconduct and summarily dismissed him.
He was reported to have been caught red-handed in a situation that strongly suggested his involvement in receiving money from applicants to hand over visa which had already been approved.