Social media posts suggest Djokovic may have lied about travelling in the 14
In the latest twist to Novak Djokovic’s visa saga social media pictures suggest the world number one lied on his entry form about travelling before arriving in Australia.
Novak Djokovic may have lied on his immigration form about his travel history prior to entering Australia, social media posts have indicated.
The world number one appears to have made a false declaration on his immigration form saying he had not travelled in the 14 days prior to his arrival in Melbourne.
The most recent addition to Djokovic’s visa saga has come less than 24 hours after the Federal Circuit and Family Court quashed the decision to cancel his visa and ordered him to be released from immigration detention.
As part of the visa application process travellers arriving in Australia are asked if they have “travelled or will travel in the 14 days prior to your flight to Australia”.
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The form warns that: “Giving false or misleading information is a serious offence. You may also be liable to a civil penalty for giving false or misleading information”.
If convicted the maximum penalty for this offence is imprisonment for 12 months.
When Djokovic completed his form, he ticked “no” in response to the travel question which appears to conflict with social media pictures.
The 34-year-old arrived in Australia on January 4 from Spain with a stopover in Dubai which would mean he would have to have been in Spain from around 1:30pm (local time) on December 22 to comply with the ban on travelling two weeks before arriving in Australia.
Despite claiming he did not travel in the 14 days prior to his arrival, social media posts show Djokovic in Belgrade on December 25 with Benfica handball player Petar Djordjic.
In another post from the Soto Tennis Academy in Sotogrande south-east Spain he was seen playing tennis on December 31.
The social media posts indicate Djokovic lied on his entry forms which could put the Serbian’s visa status in danger.
Djokovic’s court case against the Ministry for Home Affairs has gathered headlines from around the world with Judge Anthony Kelly ruling that the cancellation of Djokovic’s visa was “unreasonable”.
The world number one declared he had tested positive to COVID-19 on December 16 and therefore believed he was eligible for a medical exemption to enter Australia without being fully vaccinated.
Djokovic returned a negative result on December 22 but photos he posted on Instagram show him mingling with others while receiving his own postal stamp without a mask on December 18, just two days after he tested positive.
There is still a chance the Serbian tennis star could be deported with Counsel representing the Ministry of Home Affairs revealing that Immigration Minister Alex Hawke was “considering” using a personal power to cancel his visa.
If Minister Hawke does exercise his power to cancel Djokovic’s visa it will mean he will be banned from entering Australia for three years.
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