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Australia sought no advice on citizenship of Prakash

January 31, 2019 4:48 pm

Neil Prakash

Australia has admitted it didn’t seek any advice before revoking the citizenship of an Australian ISIS recruiter it claims is also Fijian.

Radio New Zealand reports, the Fiji government has maintained that 27-year-old, Neil Prakash, who is jailed in Turkey, never held or sought Fijian citizenship.

If true, it would mean Australia broke international laws by rendering Prakash stateless.

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Australian Immigration Minister, Peter Dutton said earlier this month that legal advice showed Prakash was a Fijian citizen.

But Australian media reports, Home Affairs Department official Linda Geddes saying no legal or expert advice was sought.

Geddes told a committee hearing on Wednesday that no attempt was made to verify Prakash’s citizenship with Fiji.