SEOUL: An official at the South Korean Embassy in Malaysia has been given a jail sentence for issuing fraudulent visas to Pakistanis.
The Seoul Central District Court on Friday said it had sentenced the embassy official to 18 months in prison for falsifying official documents and violating the immigration law, according to the Korean Herald.
The embassy official use to assist the consul in charge of visas and was found to have issued fraudulent visas to Pakistanis who lacked the required documents on 20 occasions over a period of three years.
The report further said that the embassy official was found to have misused the consul’s intranet ID and password.
In his ruling, the judge said the official had betrayed the trust bestowed upon him for the execution of his public duties and had caused confusion in immigration affairs. Therefore, he concluded, a strong punishment was necessary.
The judge added, however, that he had taken into consideration the fact that the official had not gained anything personally as a result of his crimes and that he had admitted them and expressed remorse.
