Judge in docks over sex-for-Canadian immigration scandal
February 23 2010 by Liam Clifford
A former judge of the Canadian Immigration and Refugee Board is on trial in Toronto for allegedly offering a Canadian visa to a South Korean woman in exchange for sex.
The court heard that Steve Ellis, 50, told refugee claimant Ji-Hye
Kim, 25, that he would reject her application for Canadian residency unless she
had sex with him. The incident is said to have occurred in September
2006.
Kim was working in Canada as a waitress in a Toronto restaurant
where Ellis met with her on three occasions, the court heard. Kim set a trap for
Ellis’s third visit, with the help of her boyfriend, who secretly recorded the
meeting on a video camera while she hid an audio recording device to record the
conversation.
According to the prosecution, Ellis makes the following
comments during the conversation: "You've got a boyfriend and I've got a wife.
If we do things on the side, that's okay. I'm not going to asking you to move in
with me or anything like that. I'm not going to fall in love with
you.''
Ellis is said to have warned Kim that he would reject her
application for a Canadian visa if she told her boyfriend or her lawyer about
their meetings; nevertheless Kim took the video and audio evidence to the
police.
A case was registered against Ellis and he was suspended as a Canada
immigration board judge. He denies the charges.
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