FED: Corruption fighter wins refugee decision review

AAP General News (Australia)
04-14-1999
FED: Corruption fighter wins refugee decision review

SYDNEY, April 14 AAP - A man who said he feared for his life in Russia because he tried to
expose official corruption there, today won a review of a decision that he did not qualify as
a refugee in Australia.

A full bench of the Federal Court ordered the Refugee Review Tribunal (RRT) to reconsider
its decision about Andrei Voitenko, who said one of his friends was beaten up and left for
dead after the two men investigated officials near Vladivostok in eastern Russia.

Mr Voitenko told the RRT his friend, a former colleague in the army, had obtained photos of
the regional governor in a dacha (villa) with prostitutes.

He said they had also obtained information about money laundering and Mr Voitenko was
offered a bribe to take part in an illegal business deal.

One of his employees, a former KGB official who provided protection for his company, had
demanded an exorbitant pay rise, and after Mr Voitenko refused, he was bundled into a car by
two men who demanded $US20,000 ($A31,576) in protection money from him, he said.

He said he later learned his colleague was beaten up, stabbed and left for dead, and all
the documents relating to their investigations were stolen.

He feared he would be next if he returned to Russia.

Justice Michael Moore dismissed Mr Voitenko's appeal against the RRT's decision in August
last year, but today justices Murray Wilcox, Graham Hill and Tony Whitlam found the tribunal
should reconsider.

They said the tribunal failed to make proper findings about Mr Voitenko's claim that he
would be persecuted if he returned to Russia.

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KEYWORD: VOITENKO

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