Former immigration officer charged over bribes

File image of Auckland International Airport. Photo: Greg Bowker.

A former border control officer and his associate have been charged with corruption and bribery.

Meng Yam Lim, known as Peter, appeared at Auckland District Court today along with Kooi Leng Pan.

The Serious Fraud Office (SFO) alleged that between February and April 2013 Lim colluded with Pan to accept $26,500 from two people in exchange for immigration assistance.

Lim, 64, was originally from Singapore and had been in New Zealand for about 40 years.

He worked as a border immigration officer from 2008, based at Auckland International Airport.

The SFO said Lim's role involved a high level of "passenger and interagency" interaction.

"This included having an internal relationship with Immigration and visa officers. Typical activity with this role included interviewing passengers and gathering information to verify or determine whether a person met the entry requirements for New Zealand."

The SFO said Immigration New Zealand first investigated allegations against Mr Lim.

He has been charged with four counts of corruption and bribery.

Kooi Leng Pan, also 64, was born in Malaysia but gained permanent New Zealand residency in 1993.

She previously worked at Auckland International Airport, where she knew Lim.

She was charged with four counts as a party to the same offences Lim was charged with.

The SFO said Lim and Pan were remanded without plea until their next appearance on June 9.