A Footscray training institution has been shut down and its owner charged with a string of offences over an alleged multi-million dollar student visa rorting scheme.
A multi-agency taskforce investigating exploitation of overseas workers swooped on the Whitehall Street premises of Symbiosis Institute of Technical Education last Wednesday as part of raids in 30 locations across Melbourne.
Operation Aristotle, a joint investigation by Australian Federal Police (AFP), Australian Border Force (ABF) and the Australian Skills Quality Authority (ASQA), has led to the seizure of $8.5 million worth of assets including bank accounts, six properties and more than $180,000 in cash.
Police also seized a number of luxury items including a 2014 Ferrari, a 2015 Range Rover, expensive watches and jewellery.
Symbiosis chief executive Mukesh Sharma, 42, appeared before Melbourne Magistrates Court on Wednesday on five charges, including conspiring to obtain or gain from a Commonwealth entity, possessing forged documents and dealing with money or property that is suspected of being the proceeds of crime.
The Tarneit man faced court alongside fellow accused Rakesh Kumar, while the man at the centre of the probe, St Stephen Institute of Technology director Baljit ‘Bobby’ Singh, 34, was granted bail after appearing in Melbourne Magistrates Court on Thursday.
The syndicate is alleged to provide have lured international students to Australia for sham courses, instead sub-contracting them for below-award wages to Australia Post.
AFP crime operations manager Paul Osborne said the trio defrauded $2 million in government funding and $9 million from students in vulnerable circumstances.
The Symbiosis Institute of Technical Education website advertises courses in business, management, accounting and multimedia.
It claims to be “one of the leading vocational training and educational institute [sic] in Melbourne… with immaculate academic ambience, state-of-the- art infrastructure, futuristic facilities and pronounced emphasis on quality education and overall development of the personality.”
But Star Weekly understands the Symbiosis classrooms, located above Conway Fish Trading on Whitehall Street, showed little sign of use.
ASQA chief commissioner Chris Robinson said the national regulator for the vocational education and training has immediately suspended its registration.
“The suspension of the providers’ registration means they must cease all training and assessment activity; they cannot enrol any new students; they cannot advertise or promote any training courses; and they cannot issue any vocational qualifications or statements of attainment.”
The visas of more than 800 international students are now under review.
ABF investigations division commander David Nockels said additional charges may follow further investigation into evidence gathered in the raids.
