DAKAR FRAUD SUMMARY - SECOND QUARTER FY2007

UNCLAS DAKAR 001041 SIPDIS SIPDIS SENSITIVE DEPT FOR CA/FPP DEPT PLS PASS TO KCC PARIS FOR DHS/ICE ECOWAS POSTS FOR FRAUD PREVENTION MANAGERS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: CVIS KFRD CPAS CMGT ASEC KSTC SG SUBJECT: DAKAR FRAUD SUMMARY - SECOND QUARTER FY2007 REF: A. 05 STATE 205073 ¶B. DAKAR 0355 ¶1. (SBU) Embassy Dakar's quarterly fraud reporting cable for the second quarter (January-March) of FY2007 follows. Responses are keyed to Ref A. ¶A. COUNTRY CONDITIONS: Since the last report, there has been no significant change in the economic situation. The current political situation continues to be characterized by tense competition between the ruling party, the "Parti Democratique Senegalais," and the opposition parties. The presidential election took place as scheduled on February 25 without violence. Though the opposition contested the results, the Constitutional Council declared them valid since the shortcomings and flaws during the voting process were not substantial and significant enough to invalidate the election. The major opposition parties are boycotting legislative elections scheduled for June 3, 2007. ¶B. NON-IMMIGRANT (NIV) FRAUD: Two Senegalese passports with valid B1/B2 visas were reported stolen. ¶C. IMMIGRANT VISA (IV) FRAUD: In this quarter, Post returned 35 petitions to USCIS for review with the recommendation that they be revoked. Post requested Advisory Opinions for 12 ineligibility findings under INA section 212(a)(6)(C)(i) because of identity fraud. In all 12 cases, the Consular Consolidated Database (CCD) revealed that the applicants had previously applied for immigrant and non-immigrant visas under different names and dates of birth. VO concurred with Post in all 12 instances. Post found seven immigrant visa applicants ineligible under INA section 212(a)(9)(B)(ii). ¶D. DV FRAUD: Post has been unable to verify the authenticity of Gambian documents because The Gambian Government charges a fee to verify documents. As a result, it has been difficult to verify educational credentials submitted by Gambian DV winners. ¶E. ACS AND PASSPORT FRAUD: No change. ¶F. ADOPTION FRAUD: During this quarter, post received its first IR3/IR4 visa application for an orphan adopted in Senegal. The case had numerous fraud indicators and is currently under investigation. While the number of IR3/IR4 visa applications for orphans adopted in Sierra Leone has decreased significantly, we continue to receive new cases. During this quarter, Embassy Freetown completed field investigations to confirm the orphan status of six adopted orphans, of which only four were orphans under INA section 101(b)(1)(F). There are three pending orphan field investigations. At the direction of VO, Post issued one IR3 to an adopted orphan after USCIS reaffirmed an I-600 petition despite the fact that the child has two living birth parents and the birth mother did not personally sign the relinquishment statement presented as evidence of orphan status. ¶G. ASYLUM AND OTHER DHS BENEFITS FRAUD: No change. ¶H. COOPERATION WITH HOST GOVERNMENT AUTHORITIES: No change. ¶I. AREA OF PARTICULAR CONCERN: No change. ¶J. STAFFING AND TRAINING: The Fraud Prevention Coordinator, a Consular Associate, attended the All-Africa Fraud Conference in Accra, Ghana. The training was very beneficial to Post. JACOBS