And there were weaknesses all around the Immigration Department. Specifically, there is one instance where the electronic passport system had a copy of former Director Meighan’s signature saved, to be applied on passports for to all applicants that the head of the passport section has approved.
Meighan’s signature was appearing on passports long after she left the Department, and today, the Senate found out why. Her signature as the lead Immigration Officer was needed to authenticate that a passport was valid, and for expediency, an electronic copy of it was saved on the passport system.
Unfortunately, it allowed for passports to be processed with her signature affixed, but without her approval. She explained that to the Senate today:
Ruth Meighan - Former Director of Immigration
"At the time I became director I was asked to put my signature on the passport system which the approval signature for passport but in terms of my intervention in the process from application up to that point after I've signed on that system I have absolutely no intervention in that process from application up to the time or approval. My signature is on a passport system that approves the passport that's what I'm saying."
Hon. Eamon Courtenay - PUP Senator
"So explain to us how the process works."
Ruth Meighan
"Upon application the information that is presented to the officer collecting the data is inputted into the system and it goes through the level of accepting the application, entering the data, the verification by immigration officers and the final approval by the senior immigration officer."
Hon. Eamon Courtenay
"Your signature would be a fix, the signature of the director or immigration would be a fix by a senior immigration officer once he or she is satisfied that the applicant met the requirements."
Ruth Meighan
"Yes."
Hon. Eamon Courtenay
"And in that process the director was not consulted?"
Ruth Meighan
"Yes."
Hon. Eamon Courtenay
"Would it be Ms. Sharon Neal who would be a fixing your signature to passports without your knowledge?"
Ruth Meighan
"It would be Ms. Sharon Neal who is the officer in charge of that section so she would have been the one who gave the final approval of the passport there."
Hon. Eamon Courtenay
"Are you telling this committee that routinely passport were issued when you were director and you had no knowledge of the amount to whom they were being issues, you were not concerned with respect to the satisfying of the requirements that Ms. Neal would be issuing them once she was satisfied and the director was not aware?"
Ruth Meighan
"I'm saying that we had a system in place where the officer in charge of the passport section see through the process of the issuing of passport, that's what I'm saying."
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