Former Immigration Officer Sentenced to Four Years in Prison

Statue of Justicia in Ottawa Canada. Diane Serré was sentenced to four years in prison for using her position at Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) to fast-track permanent resident applications in exchange for bribes

Former Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) officer Diane Serré was sentenced to four years in prison on Thursday for accepting bribes in exchange for preferential official treatment of applications for permanent residence.

Serré was found guilty of 15 counts of fraud and 12 counts of breach of trust by an Ontario Superior Court Justice in June for using her position as a CIC officer to help ten immigration applicants.

Police recorded hundreds of conversations between Serré and Issam Dakik, her esthetician’s husband, which were used as evidence against her in trial. Dakik plead guilty to charges in connection with the case in 2006, and spent 33 months in prison.

According to investigators, Dakik received at least $25,900 in bribes from immigration applicants. Police suspect that Serré received a portion of that as they found $300 in an envelope at her home that an undercover officer had given Dakik.

Ontario Court Justice Catherine Aitken, who presided over the case, said that Aitken’s actions put the country’s security at risk.

In one case that Justice Aitkin brought attention to, Serré fast-tracked the permanent resident application of a man who used three different family names, had passports in multiple countries, had been charged for a criminal offence in Canada, and had been sponsored by a woman who he had married and was 20 years older than him, all “red flags” that were ignored.

One comment

  • There is a clear double standard, even in the Justice system watching over CIC performance.

    They intently watch and wire tap an officer who is fast tracking an application. What about the officer who is disposing off an application, who is loosing the important documents sent with an application or simply denying an application without proper reasoning.

    Has any Canadian Court stepped in to ask about the Wrongfully Denied applications by CIC Canada? Is there any built-in mechanism in CIC Canada that makes sure that no rogue, bored, or mentally volatile visa officer is starting to act up by denying all the applications and destroying lives of potential immigrants.?

    Who should potential immigrants sue for destroying their lives? There are people here more educated, then the Minister of Immigration Jason Kenny! The visa officers in Vegreville office, what punishments were handed down when they destroyed applications just to get their pay raise? Where is the justice system of Canada?

    Unfortunately, every institution in Canada lives on the misery of others. Lawyers want their huge fees to file a complaint against CIC. And doesnt want to open a line of communication to re-consider refusals. They dont want to admit their visa officers are humans who can make mistakes, sometimes willfully. CIC-Vegreville is the worst place, where ill-trained officers are in-charge of destroying lives of immigrants who are 100 times more educated and professional than those farm kids.

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