Iranian arrested in violent video deported following tax fraud trial
Christchurch, Drongonia
August 1, 2022 | Isabelle Turner
A still from the arrest video, which circulated widely online last year.
The man at the centre of a violent arrest video has been scheduled for deportation after being convicted on multiple charges related to tax fraud and undeclared income from his Middle Eastern restaurant in Christchurch.
With interim name suppression being lifted, TVDG can now reveal that Kamran Farahmand, who appeared in the video after a drunken arrest in May 2021, is due to be deported to Iran next month, along with his wife and two children.
In the video, which sparked accusations of racism and police brutality from members of the online community, Farahmand accused officers of the unjust use of force during his arrest following complaints from members of the public. Following the circulation of the video, Police defended their actions, saying that "incidents like this that were shared without context often did not tell the full story."
Farahmand was initially charged with Breaching the Peace and Assault of a Police Officer, with the assault charge being dropped by Police prior to trial. Farahmand was found guilty of the charge of Breaching the Peace and was sentenced to 72 hours of community work and ordered to pay $1,756.12 compensation to a business owner for signage that had been damaged during the arrest.
However, following the initial arrest, Inland Revenue launched an investigation into Farahmand's Central Christchurch restaurant, Taste of Arabia. Investigators say what they found was a trail of financial inconsistencies, earnings discrepancies, and a massive under-reporting of tax obligations. Initial estimates by Inland Revenue suggested that the restaurant could have been liable for over $550,000 of unpaid taxes since its 2014 opening, however, this was revised to just over $322,000 in the final case which was brought before the National Financial Court in September 2021.
Following the guilty verdict, National Financial Court Judge Justice Fred Price convicted Farahmand of multiple counts of fraudulent declaration of business earnings, and sentenced Farahmand to 3 years' prison time. The ruling also stated that Inland Revenue was to be paid the money his business owned, plus penalties and court costs. In total, the ruling demanded Farahmand or his restaurant pay over $465,000.
Farahmand's lawyers appealed the ruling but were unsuccessful. Under current immigration law, anyone who is not a citizen or permanent resident is liable for immediate deportation if convicted of a crime which carries a prison sentence of three years or more, or a fine of $250,000 or more. Upon Farahmand appealing the immigration ruling, officials found Farahmand met the criteria on the grounds of the three year prison sentence he was due to serve, as well as "the gravity of the offending on display". Immigration did change the nature of his deportation, however. Initially, Farahmand was due to serve his sentence in full before deportation. However, as his crime was only financial and non-violent, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs will attempt to recover the money from the Iranian government upon his deportation, and he will simply be barred re-entry to Drongonia for life.
Farahmand told DNN in an interview that he "has no choice" but to take his family with him to Iran as they "simply will not survive on their own in this country". He also expressed disappointment that "they [the Government] are allowed to be this blatantly institutionally racist and get away with it". Farahmand also stands by his assertion that it was racist members of the public who had him arrested, and who subsequently complained to Inland Revenue about his restaurant. He also referred to the trial as "a massive sham" during the interview.
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