National candidate under scrutiny
TVNZ.co.nz
October 31, 2008
The National Party is defending a potential MP against claims he was involved in a questionable immigration application.
Questions are being asked about National's candidate for Manukau East over the way he offered a job to support an Indian couple seeking residence in New Zealand.
It's alleged in documents obtained by ONE News that Kanwal Jit Bakshi offered an Indian couple a job to help them get residency in the country in 2003.
The job would have enabled them to get into New Zealand under the immigration points system.
When immigration investigated they found the job was fake and the application for residency was declined.
Documents show the couple visited Bakshi's company and discovered that it had no full-time employees. It was operating from a residential home and Bakshi failed to produce the necessary financial records to sustain a full-time worker.
A letter from Bakshi to the couple described the job as a sales position, but the Immigration Service says it was described to them as a marketing role.
Sources have raised the issue and provided documents to ONE News because Bakshi is standing for parliament in Manukau East for National and is number 38 on their list. At current polling he will be in the next parliament as an MP.
Bakshi was born in Delhi in India, and in 2001 he and his family came to live in New Zealand.
Since moving to New Zealand Bakshi has been active in a number of business ventures covering property, wholesaling and the fashion industry.
He has been involved with the National Party since arriving in New Zealand seven years ago.
Meanwhile the National Party says it's standing by its candidate, and says Bakshi did not receive any money for his role in the application and the job offer was made in good faith.
The Department of Labour says it's aware of the matter.
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