DAKAR FRAUD SUMMARY - FIRST QUARTER FY2007

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 DAKAR 000355

SIPDIS

SIPDIS
SENSITIVE

DEPT FOR CA/FPP AND AF/W
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 - FIRST QUARTER FY2007

REF: A. 05 STATE 205073

B. 06 Dakar 1802

C. 06 Dakar 2661


1. Following is Embassy Dakar's quarterly fraud reporting cable for
the first quarter (October-December) of FY2007. Responses are keyed
to Reftel A.


A. COUNTRY CONDITIONS: The economic situation in Senegal is
difficult and has sparked concerns within the international donor
community and among foreign investors. Key sectors behind Senegal's
export-oriented economic growth in recent years (fishing, phosphate,
and peanuts) have experienced production declines, and economists
predict overall GDP growth for 2006 was significantly below earlier
expectations. The supply of electricity and petroleum products has
experienced numerous interruptions in recent months and continues to
negatively affect the country's overall economic performance and the
living standards of the population. Higher prices for cooking gas
and other daily staples have also increased the financial
difficulties for much of the population. As a result, Senegalese
continue to see illegal migration as a means to improve their
economic situation. With other routes becoming more difficult,
Senegalese are increasingly using fishing boats to travel to Spain.

The current political situation is characterized by tense
competition between the ruling Senegalese Democratic Party (PDS) and
the opposition parties. The Government has already announced that
legislative elections that were scheduled for February 2007 will be
postponed until June 3, 2007. The presidential election is still
scheduled for February 25, but the imperfect level of preparation is
still a cause of concern. The numerous legal and constitutional
reforms undertaken in the electoral field during a period close to
elections have been a cause for concern among leaders of the
opposition and civil society organizations.


B. NON-IMMIGRANT (NIV) FRAUD: Post's Fraud Prevention Unit
completed a validation study to confirm the return of all 15
students who attended summer camp in the U.S. in the summer of

2006.


C. IMMIGRANT VISA (IV) FRAUD: In this quarter, Post returned 32
petitions to USCIS for review with the recommendation that they be
revoked.

Post continues to see scam marriages for the sole purpose of
immigration. Two Nigerians who were refused non-immigrant visas
used a Christian website to find their spouses. Both petitioners
are poor single mothers who are marginally employed. Fraud
indicators for Sierra Leonean marriage include: revived a
relationship with old flames; seeing the beneficiary's photo at a
mutual friend or family member's residence; and a chance encounter
at an airport or taxi stand.


D. DV FRAUD: No change.


E. ACS AND PASSPORT FRAUD: Post denied one Consular Report of Birth
Abroad (CRBA) certificate after DNA testing revealed that the
alleged Amcit father was not the biological father of a child born
out of wedlock. The Amcit later confessed that he knew he was not
the biological father, explaining his girlfriend had been raped and
he was trying to assist her. Eight CRBA applications submitted in
2004 and 2005 have been abandoned because alleged Amcit parents have
not presented sufficient evidence of a biological relationship with
the child and have declined to conduct DNA testing.


F. ADOPTION FRAUD: Amcits of Sierra Leonean origin appear to be
submitting false adoption decrees to obtain IR2 visas for other
Sierra Leoneans. For example, three Amcits living in Woodbridge,
Virginia, submitted 13 petitions for alleged adopted children. Post
returned nine petitions to the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration
Service (USCIS) because of fraudulent adoption certificates. Four
of the nine beneficiaries appear to be in their thirties. Post has
not yet adjudicated the remaining four petitions.

The rate of adoption fraud in orphan cases remains at approximately
50 percent. Embassy Freetown completed field investigations for
nine adopted orphans this quarter. Four of these children were not
orphans under INA 101(b)(1)(F) and one case is pending with USCIS to
make the orphan determination. Field investigations for ten adopted
orphans are still pending.


G. ASYLUM AND OTHER DHS BENEFITS FRAUD: No change.


H. COOPERATION WITH HOST GOVERNMENT AUTHORITIES: No change.


DAKAR 00000355 002 OF 002



I. AREA OF PARTICULAR CONCERN: Security at Leopold Sedar Senghor
International Airport is vulnerable. According to officials working
for firms in charge of security for Delta and Air France,
clandestine migrants breach the airport's perimeters on a regular
basis. Clandestine migrants usually rush to the tarmac to mingle
with outbound passengers when they leave the airport bus to board
the plane. An official from the security firm working for Delta
confirmed that an individual climbed into a Delta airplane's wheel
compartment at Dakar's airport on January 12, 2007. The individual
did not survive the flight. According to an article from the
January 17 edition of "The Soleil" newspaper, a similar incident
occurred with SN Brussels. A victim believed to be a Gambian
airport employee did not survive the January 17 Banjul - Dakar -
Brussels flight. His remains were found in the wheel well of the
plane in Brussels.

According to airport contacts, the Gendarmerie is more reliable than
airport police. Since the Gendarmerie only has authority to arrest
and incarcerate clandestine migrants caught on the tarmac, Air
France prefers to intercept malafide travelers on the tarmac instead
of during check-in. In contrast, South African Airways (SAA) stop
travelers with suspicious documents during check-in and sends those
passengers to the airport police. SAA security staff suspect that
the police release most of these individuals or assist them to take
alternative routes out of Senegal. As a result, Post receives few
requests to verify U.S. Refugee Travel Documents (I-571s).
According to post contacts, the current rate to assist clandestine
migrants to board a flight is 1,000,000 CFA francs (CFAF) (USD
2,000). If the passenger is repatriated, he is reimbursed 700,000
CFAF (USD 1,380).

The new transit route for illegal immigrants is Dakar's port.
According to a source from Aeroport International Leopold Sedar
Senghor (SOFRASEP - AFRIQUE),I Messina Senegal, a well known
container company, spends about 15,000,000 CFAF a month in tickets
to repatriate clandestine immigrants from just one country, Italy.

Post is still seeing fraudulent entry/exit stamps in passports,
primarily from Dubai.


J. STAFFING AND TRAINING: Roksana K. Houge started working as the
new Fraud Prevention Manager in December 2006. In the second
quarter, the Fraud Prevention Coordinator hopes to attend an
interviewing techniques workshop organized by Post's Federal Bureau
of Investigation and an All-Africa Fraud Conference in Accra,
Ghana.

JACOBS