A Bangladeshi couple have been found guilty of using a family member's identity to obtain documents to live and work in New Zealand for two decades.
The case was heard in a trial at Auckland District Court after a six-year immigration investigation.
On Friday, the jury found Jahangir Alam and his wife Taj Parvin Shilpi guilty of 40 charges of immigration and identity fraud spanning 20 years.
The court heard how Alam used his brother's identity to obtain visas, residence and citizenship for himself, his wife and his mother.
During the trial, prosecutor Liam Dalton said authorities still did not know Alam's true identity.
The couple's lawyers said he has never used a false name and denied all charges.
Alam and his wife were jointly accused of supplying false and misleading information.
Immigration NZ's general manager of compliance and investigations, Steve Watson, said the conviction was significant and sent a strong message that providing fraudulent information to immigration officials would not be tolerated.
"This kind of offending strikes at the heart of the immigration system, undermining its integrity. We expect applicants to provide honest and complete information to show that they meet the requirements to be granted a visa, or to be allowed to enter New Zealand.
"Anyone who provides false information to Immigration New Zealand will be investigated and held to account for their actions," Watson said.
"An investigation of this scale is extremely complex, and I'm incredibly proud of our dedicated investigations team who worked across the immigration system to thoroughly investigate this case and eventually bring it before the courts six years later."
"We were able to identify this criminal offending, prevent further offences from being committed and ultimately hold Alam and Shilpi accountable."
They were due to be sentenced in May.
This story was first published in RNZ
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