Almost six months after Behrouz Boochani landed in New Zealand, the opposition is demanding answers on whether the refugee is in the country legally.
New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has slammed an"offensive" suggestion Behrouz Boochani benefited from a politicised process to enter the country, where he is reportedly bidding for asylum.
Mr Boochani travelled to New Zealand in November, ending a marathon stay in Australia's offshore detention regime by accepting an invitation for a speaking engagement in Christchurch.Behrouz Boochani on Manus Island.Almost six months later, Mr Boochani is understood to remain in New Zealand awaiting a decision on that application, which is lawful.
On Monday, Mr Smith suggested Mr Boochani was only let into New Zealand because he had"political friends in New Zealand in the Green party and the Labour party". "I'm not going to act outside of the law but I will call out a statement which I think questions the integrity of our immigration system, which is very robust in New Zealand, and indeed the integrity of parliamentarians," she said."Any suggestion otherwise is wrong and baseless," a spokeswoman said.A spokeswoman for Mr Smith declined to offer evidence to back up his claims, but the Kaikoura MP stood by them.
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