12/05/05

Russian Roulette

Liz Hayes

Sixty Minutes

INTRODUCTION, LIZ HAYES: At best, marriage can be a bit of a gamble. But for many Australian men, the odds are really stacked against them. They set out looking for love on the Internet and find themselves victims of a heartless immigration scam.

It seems so enticing — beautiful Russian women begging for husbands. For the men, it's a last chance for happiness. For the women, it's a passport to permanent residence in Australia. But not all these women are on the level. Some take advantage of a loophole in the law and take their new husbands to the cleaners at the same time. And we should mention that, for legal reasons here in Queensland, we've had to modify our story slightly.

STORY, LIZ HAYES: On the Internet, there are literally thousands of them — beautiful Russian women who want to meet men from the West. Those were the invitations that these men couldn't refuse. Ivan met Angelica in Russia and, after a two-week courtship, they married in August 1997. Ron wrote to Natalia in Lithuania for eight months before he brought her back to Australia just over three years ago. John courted Irena on the Internet. A year later, he married her. That was two years ago. Unfortunately, none of these stories has a happy ending.

IVAN DUHS: They were all programmed and they know exactly what to do before they even come here.

LIZ HAYES: For Ivan Duhs, this wasn't even a happy beginning. Just three days after he brought his bride, Angelica Bolantina, home to Australia, she told him the truth. She married him only to get permanent residence.

IVAN DUHS: I'd come home and she'd say, "Why are you here, what are you doing here? I want you to go and sit, go sit." And I said to her, "What do you mean you want me to go and sit?" She'd be going like this. And she got the translating book, she said, "Oh". She said, "I want you to go to jail."

LIZ HAYES: She actually said she wanted you in jail?

IVAN DUHS: She said, "I want you in jail."

LIZ HAYES: Did you understand what she meant at that stage?

IVAN DUHS: No, I had no idea what she meant.

LIZ HAYES: With Angelica came her son, Vassily. Ivan says he was a troublesome child. But it wasn't Vassily who got into trouble.

IVAN DUHS: Two plain-clothes young policemen knocked on the door, asked if they could come in. Before I could say yes or no, they pushed their way in and one flashed a badge, I didn't even get a look at it, put it back in his pocket and they said, "Oh, your wife's made a complaint". I just could not believe it. I said, "What?"

LIZ HAYES: The complaint was so serious, that the police demanded Ivan leave his house immediately, but the law prevents us from reporting the details. And although it took a year for Ivan's case to come to court, it only took the jury two hours to acquit him.

You were found not guilty?

IVAN DUHS: Oh yes, yes, on all charges, yes.

LIZ HAYES: And how long after Angelica had made these allegations did she get permanent residency?

IVAN DUHS: I believe within three weeks.

LIZ HAYES: Within three weeks of the police knocking on your door?

IVAN DUHS: Yep, she had permanent residency. Yep.

LIZ HAYES: While Ivan was busy defending himself, Angelica was busy too — clearing out his house. She took everything — light switches, the toilet roll holder, the Hills Hoist, even the wheelie bin. Including his legal fees, Ivan was $120,000 out of pocket.

IVAN DUHS: The way the police and Immigration handled this whole thing, something needs to be done about these sorts of situations. I mean, without any evidence, not one shred of evidence, just to be granted permanent residency. I'm renting now; I'll probably be renting to the day I die. And she's laughing at us, laughing at Immigration, laughing all the way to the bank, I'd say.

LIZ HAYES: It's not really surprising that many Russian women know the tricks of this marriage trade. Some examples are spelled out in this video. The video was made by our Department of Immigration and our Moscow embassy shows it to every Russian woman planning to marry an Australian. It virtually tells them that one way to gain permanent residency is to accuse their partner of certain offences. And that's what happened to Ron Bunting, another Australian who regrets the day he decided to take a Russian bride.

RON BUNTING: Today I look around, I'm working, I'm living my days out. That's basically what I'm doing. I've lost all my ambition, I've lost everything. I have no desire to ever be involved in a relationship anymore.

LIZ HAYES: You lost your heart?

RON BUNTING: Completely, yep, yep.

LIZ HAYES: Ron met Natalia Lomikina with the help of an introduction agency and they married in Lithuania.

RON BUNTING: She arrived here in Brisbane. The next morning we're driving home and she informs me that she's going to live in her own room. If I want sex I've got to come and visit her.

LIZ HAYES: Ron and Natalia settled in Blackbutt in Queensland where Ron managed the local cafe. He says he worked long hours to keep up with Natalia's demands.

RON BUNTING: She wanted a car, initially, but then it had to be a car with a CD player and air-conditioning. She wouldn't stand for anything less.

LIZ HAYES: Did you give it to her?

RON BUNTING: Yeah, yeah, she had one within two weeks. Then it was the mobile phone and new clothes, cosmetics, so I just said to her, "Okay, there's the money, if you need it, buy it", it's as simple as that.

LIZ HAYES: Did you not think at any stage, well, this is a bit much?

RON BUNTING: No, I just worked harder and harder and harder to pay for it.

LIZ HAYES: You just wanted to please her?

RON BUNTING: Exactly, yes, yep.

LIZ HAYES: Ron says his marriage came to an abrupt end when he arrived home one night to find Natalia gone. The next day, he tracked her down at a neighbour's place.

RON BUNTING: I asked her, you know, "Why, what's happened? Why have you left?" And her basic answer was, "I don't want to be married to you anymore. I don't want to be married to anybody. I want to live by myself."

LIZ HAYES: Did she accuse you of anything?

RON BUNTING: No, nothing whatsoever.

LIZ HAYES: She did not complain about your treatment of her?

RON BUNTING: No, no.

LIZ HAYES: In any of those conversations?

RON BUNTING: No.

LIZ HAYES: So you had no idea that she was going to accuse you of domestic violence?

RON BUNTING: None whatsoever.

LIZ HAYES: It turns out though, that Natalia did accuse Ron of abuse, but that's all. He was never charged with any offence. Little wonder when you see some of Natalia's accusations made in this statutory declaration. For example, he gave her a mobile phone for Christmas, she says, so as he could spy on her and he constantly told his wife that people would come into his shop just to see her beauty. But this document was enough to brand Ron a wife-basher and enough to grant Natalia permanent residence in Australia, even though she'd only lived here for six months.

Has she ever gone to the police with these allegations as far as you know?

RON BUNTING: Not as far as I know, no.

LIZ HAYES: And no policeman has ever come to you with the allegations that she has made?

RON BUNTING: Never.

LIZ HAYES: You have just never been questioned?

RON BUNTING: Never been questioned at all.

LIZ HAYES: And never been charged?

RON BUNTING: No.

LIZ HAYES: So never been found guilty?

RON BUNTING: No.

LIZ HAYES: And finally, there's the case of John di Mallory. He's a financial adviser but a bit reluctant to admit that because his clients might think he was foolish for taking a Russian bride.

JOHN DI MALLORY: She wasn't prepared to wait two years to get a permanent residency because her agenda didn't allow for that. So she had to act as soon as she could. And I was an instrument, that's all.

LIZ HAYES: John met Irena Anisimov in Siberia in April 2000.

JOHN DI MALLORY: She was a very attractive woman, intelligent woman, she had everything that I thought at the time … I thought at the time she was too good to be true.

LIZ HAYES: And she was.

JOHN DI MALLORY: And she absolutely was.

LIZ HAYES: Just 10 months after settling down with Irena in his Brisbane home, John di Mallory was surprised to find two police officers waiting for him when he got home from work. There were serious accusations against him.

You were asked to leave your house?

JOHN DI MALLORY: Correct.

LIZ HAYES: What was your reaction to this?

JOHN DI MALLORY: I felt for a second … I said, "This is my house. Are you telling me that I'm going to be ejected from it?" And they said, "Yes". I said, "It's my house" and they look at each other and we talk for a few minutes and they say, "Well, we've made a decision, you have to go." I said, "What about if I don't?" And, "Well, either you go voluntarily or we take you out, which one do you like?"

LIZ HAYES: The police told John he was accused of serious charges by his wife. But the law prevents us from reporting the details.

JOHN DI MALLORY: I was dumbfounded. You know, I couldn't really … it took me quite a long time to comprehend what was happening. You know, I just couldn't understand, it didn't make any sense.

LIZ HAYES: The magistrate hearing the case against John de Mallory made it clear he thought Irena was an unreliable witness, saying she wasn't frank or candid. She described her evidence as contradictory and improbable. But he found John de Mallory to be truthful and credible. But that didn't prevent Irena from claiming permanent residence. She only had to make the allegations … proof was not required. Nonetheless, Irena now lives in the house owned by John di Mallory.

Is it true that as a result of the allegations you made you got permanent residency?

IRENA ANISIMOV: Yes.

LIZ HAYES: So directly as a result of these allegations you made against your husband, you were allowed to stay permanently in Australia?

IRENA ANISIMOV: Yes.

LIZ HAYES: And the law says that John di Mallory is not allowed to approach his own house or to have any contact with Irena.

Is it true he came home to find the police here waiting for him? Is that true?

IRENA ANISIMOV: Yes.

LIZ HAYES: Did you not tell him that you had made these complaints against him before that?

IRENA ANISIMOV: No.

LIZ HAYES: Why not?

IRENA ANISIMOV: Sorry.

LIZ HAYES: Why did you not do that?

IRENA ANISIMOV: My English no good maybe.

LIZ HAYES: Your English is excellent. Your English is excellent. I understand you perfectly. As things stand, the Immigration Department warns new brides that relationships can change when they arrive in Australia. Perhaps they should be warning prospective husbands too.

JOHN DI MALLORY: She knew exactly what was required for her to come here and to stay here on her own terms and bring her family and that's what she's working on.

LIZ HAYES: And you believe she knew that right from the start?

JOHN DI MALLORY: Absolutely.

LIZ HAYES: What has happened to Natalia?

RON BUNTIING: She has a new relationship, a nice new home, a car, she has a good life, she's attending university. She has everything set up for her. She has legal representation, something I can't get. I don't get free legal representation. I can't defend myself in court over these matters. She can. Basically it's left me with nothing. She has everything.

LIZ HAYES: And in case you were wondering, yes, the Government does know this is going on. Three years ago they attempted to tighten the law to give husbands some protection, but they were defeated in the Senate by Labor and the Democrats.

IVAN DUHS: I've been gullible, I'm an idiot, I've been an idiot and I don't doubt there's a lot of Australian women out there laughing their you-know-whats off at me. Good luck to them, too.

LIZ HAYES: I don't think anyone will laugh at you at all. I think people will just say how does that happen?

IVAN DUHS: Well, I think something needs to be done. There's a bad loopholes in our government, the situation with Immigration, it just stinks. Something has to be done about it. And the sooner the better.