Australia prepares case to DEPORT Novak Djokovic

32

View
comments

The Australian government is preparing its case to deport Novak Djokovic after he admitted to attending an event and interview in Serbia after testing Covid-positive.3

The investigation will now include his breach of isolation requirements in Serbia, incorrect statements given on his travel declaration form and inconsistencies on the date of his COVID-19 test. 

The tennis world no. 1 is currently in Melbourne fighting for a chance to retain his Australian Open title next week, but is still facing the prospect of deportation after days of legal battles and uncertainty.

Djokovic’s hopes were dented further today as Australia’s Department of Home Affairs’ investigation was widened to include inconsistencies in the tennis star’s story after he posted a lengthy social media post apologising for the breach, according to The Sydney Morning Herald.

Djokovic could also be facing trouble at home. Under Serbian law, where anyone Covid positive must isolate for 14 days, a breach of the measures can carry a maximum sentence of three years behind bars.

And in Australia, lying on travel documentation can result in a 12-month prison sentence, while providing false information to to the Federal Circuit Court under the Crimes Act can carry a maximum jail sentence of five years. 

This could be of concern to the tennis star, who wrote in a sworn court affidavit he was ‘tested and diagnosed’ for Covid on December 16 – contradicting his claim he was told of his positive result on the 17th after attending the event with children.

Djokovic has been the subject of intense scrutiny for presenting awards to children at a tennis event in the Serbian capital Belgrade on December 17 – a day after testing positive to the virus, and for attending an interview the following day.

He is also under fire for making a false declaration before landing in Australia, an offence punishable by up to 12 months in jail. Djokovic claimed in his social media post on Wednesday that his agent filled in the form.

In answer to the question: ‘Have you travelled, or will you travel, in the 14 days prior to your flight to Australia?’ Djokovic’s agent selected ‘no’, despite the player being in Spain in the days prior to his departure to Australia.

There are also unanswered questions over when the 20-time Grand Slam winner actually learned he had Covid, with German publication Der Spiegel casting doubt on his PCR test after QR Code information was uncovered that ‘did not match up’. 

Separate to Australia’s Department of Home Affairs’ investigation, immigration Minister Alex Hawke said today he is considering cancelling Djokovic’s visa.

In an update to Australian media, Hawke’s spokesman acknowledged receiving ‘lengthy further submissions’ from the player’s lawyers.

‘Naturally, this will affect the timeframe for a decision,’ he said. Hawke is expected to hand down his decision on Thursday.

The Serbian star flew into Melbourne a week ago claiming a vaccine exemption because of a positive PCR test result on December 16. Unvaccinated travellers are banned from Australia unless they have a valid exemption.

Border agents rejected his exemption saying a recent infection did not qualify, tore up his visa and placed him in a detention centre.

But the vaccine-sceptic Djokovic’s high-powered legal team dramatically overturned the visa decision in court on Monday on a procedural matter related to his airport interview, giving the player hope he would fight for a record 21st Grand Slam.

Djokovic, who is a vaccine sceptic, attempted to address a number of concerns about the situation in a lengthy statement posted to his Instagram page on Wednesday, but several questions still remain.

The tennis star admitted attending an event with children while he was Covid positive, but said he didn’t know he was infected until shortly afterwards as he addressed questions about his positive Covid test in mid-December.  

The 34-year-old lashed out at ‘misinformation’ and claimed it wasn’t until after the event that he learned he was Covid positive.

But the Serbian did own up to then conducting an in-person interview with French newspaper L’Équipe knowing he was positive, a mistake he put down to an ‘error in judgement’.

He also admitted his agent made an administrative error and accidentally ticked an incorrect box about his travel history. 

In his lengthy post, Djokovic wrote: ‘I want to address the continuing misinformation about my activities and attendance at events in December in the lead-up to my positive Covid test result.

‘This is misinformation which needs to be corrected, particularly in the interest of alleviating broader concern in the community about my presence in Australia, and to address matters which are very hurtful and concerning to my family.’

Djokovic said he attended a basketball game on December 14 and then found out multiple people at the event had tested positive to the virus. 

He said he took a rapid antigen test, which came back negative, and then an official PCR test the same day ‘out of an abundance of caution’.

The Serbian claimed he only found out about his positive PCR result in the hours after the Belgrade tennis awards event.

‘The next day, on 18 December I was at my tennis centre in Belgrade to fulfil a long-standing commitment for a L’Équipe interview and photoshoot,’ he said.

‘I cancelled all other events except for the L’Équipe interview.’ 

Djokovic admitted the decision to follow through with the interview was an ‘error of judgement’. 

‘I felt obliged to go ahead and conduct the L’Équipe interview as I didn’t want to let the journalist down, but did ensure I socially distanced and wore a mask except when my photograph was taken,’ he said.

‘When I went home after the interview to isolate for the required period, on reflection, this was an error of judgment and I accept that I should have rescheduled this commitment.’ 

Djokovic also blamed an administrative error on his Australian travel declaration for misleading officials about his travel in the weeks before he arrived in Melbourne.

The tennis star flew to Spain and then onto Australia before being detained by border officials last Thursday, but checked ‘no’ to a travel declaration form question about travel in the 14 days before landing in Melbourne.

‘This was submitted by my support team on my behalf – as I told immigration officials on my arrival,’ he said.

‘My agent sincerely apologises for the administrative mistake in ticking the incorrect box about my previous travel before coming to Australia.’

Djokovic said the mistake was a ‘human error’ and in a pandemic ‘sometimes these mistakes can occur’.

‘Today, my team has provided additional information to the Australian government to clarify this matter,’ he said. 

In the final page of his Instagram post, Djokovic said he would be making no further comment ‘out of utmost respect for the Australian government’.

Djokovic wrote in a sworn court affidavit he was ‘tested and diagnosed’ for Covid on December 16 – contradicting his claim he was told of his positive result on the 17th after attending the event with children in Serbia. 

The penalty for providing false information to to the Federal Circuit Court under the Crimes Act can carry a maximum jail sentence of five years.  

But the inconsistencies don’t stop there.        

The unvaccinated star’s account of how he found out he had the virus comes amid a bombshell German news report about the Serbian’s test records.    

Der Spiegel highlighted a series of possible inconsistencies in official records about the Serbian world number one’s PCR test results from last month.   

Djokovic was told he could fly into Melbourne on the basis he tested positive to the virus in Serbia on December 16 and then negative six days later.  

But Der Spiegel claims when its reporter entered the code for his December 16 test into the official Serbian health database at 1.19pm on Monday, the result came back negative. 

An hour later at 2.33pm, the scan returned a positive result – in what could simply be a quirk of the system.

A negative result would have invalidated Djokovic’s claim to enter Australia on a temporary working visa for the tournament.

His positive test result has also been called into question by a discrepancy in the identification numbers used for every test.

The German investigation found Djokovic’s December 16 test result had the ID number 7371999, but his negative result on December 22 was 7320919 – 50,000 spaces lower. 

Researchers claimed the mismatched identification numbers showed Djokovic may actually have tested negative on December 16 and then positive six days later.

Such a result would have also made the Serbian ineligible to enter Australia on the grounds he had recently contracted and recovered from the virus on December 22, as claimed on official documentation.

Daily Mail Australia is not suggesting Djokovic or his team were involved in any wrongdoing, simply that there are questions surrounding the administrative error.  

It comes as Djokovic’s entry into Australia as an unvaccinated player was questioned by World No. 38 Marton Fucsovics, who accused the Serbian of skirting the rules to play in the Grand Slam. 

Fucsovics this week fired a shot at Djokovic over his decision not to get vaccinated, declaring the 34-year-old was ‘finding a way around rules’.

‘People’s health is paramount, and there are rules that were outlined months ago, namely that everyone should vaccinate themselves – and Djokovic didn’t,’ Fucsovics said.

‘From this point of view, I don’t think he would have the right to be here.’ 

British tennis legend Andy Murray on Tuesday said there are still ‘a few questions to be answered’ by Djokovic over his visa debacle.

‘There are still a few questions that need to be answered around the isolation and stuff, which I’m sure we’ll hear from him in the next few days, but I’m obviously here to try and play and win tournaments,’ he said.

‘He won in court, which is good. Looks like he’s going to be able to play and compete in the Australian Open, which we do want the best players there, but like I said, I think there is still a few questions to be answered.’

Djokovic’s mother has also opened up about the Australian Open visa exemption debacle – and claimed he ‘didn’t know’ he was infected with Covid-19 while pictured attending public events in Serbia last month. 

Dijana Djokovic claims her son ‘didn’t know’ he had Covid while attending events in the following days, despite court documents confirming the positive PCR test.

Photos show the tennis star hugging children at an event on December 17 before  attending the Serbian National Postal Service launch of his own stamp.

‘He didn’t know, probably, he didn’t know because when he realised he was positive then he go to isolation,’ she told Sunrise on Wednesday from Belgrade.

‘I really cannot say but it’s maybe the best is to ask him.’

Ms Djokovic opened up on the heavy toll her son’s visa saga has had on the rest of family back home, describing the last week as the ‘most difficult time for us’.

‘We never have, even in my worst dreams thought that something like this was going to happen,’ she said.

‘So honestly, for a few days, we weren’t even sleeping so we are really tired and trying to do our best to spread the word about what is going on.’

Despite his successful court appeal to stay, Djokovic may still be booted from the country with Immigration Minister Alex Hawke yet to decide whether to use his personal powers to cancel his visa for a second time.

Australian Border Force has also launched a fresh investigation into whether the Djokovic lied on a travel declaration form before entering the country.

His mother is still ‘very worried’ he may still be deported by authorities ahead of next week’s Australian Open as she issued an impassioned plea to let her son stay.

‘I was reading in the newspapers there’s still the possibility they may deport him so I’m very worried and I realise that this is not over yet and we are all praying that he will stay,’ she said.

‘I hope everyone is thinking the same.

‘Don’t throw him out, he is a tennis player, he is not politician, he is not a criminal, he is not a murderer, he’s just a tennis player, the best in the world, just let him play and show what he knows.’

‘He came to Australia to play and to win the Australian Open, this is his goal.’

She doesn’t think it’s fair Mr Hawke may still deport Djokovic.

‘The Honourable Judge Kelly made the decision he was free so I cannot understand why one man can make the other decision…… but I don’t know your laws in your country so I really don’t understand,’ she added.

Ms Djokovic also defended her son’s strong stance on vaccination and respects his decision to not get the jab.

‘As mother I can’t pressure him,’ she said. 

‘I don’t know what the problem is if he doesn’t want to get vaccinated – that is his choice,’ she said.

‘Each person on this world has the opportunity to make this choice, this is like human rights.’

Ms Djokovic then slammed the rules banning players from taking part in the Australian Open unless they are fully vaccinated or have a medical exemption.

‘I don’t understand this law that only if you’re vaccinated you can play,’ she said.

‘It’s not that I’m against vaccination, of course I’m not, but if you’re vaccinated, it’s not that you’re protected from the coronavirus.

‘Lot of people who have two or three vaccines get ill.

‘Are they afraid he’s going to cough on the court? It’s silly.’

She added her son is as hungry as ever to win his tenth Australian Open title and become the first men’s tennis player in history to win 21 grand slam titles. 

‘Now he has more strength and power to win this, because he wants to show everybody in the world why he is the best in the world,’ Mrs Djokovic said.