Australian border guards investigating whether Novak Djokovic made false travel allegation | Novak Djokovic

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The Australian Border Force is investigating whether Novak Djokovic has incorrectly declared that he has not and will not travel for two weeks prior to his trip to Australia, in the latest development in the tennis star’s visa revocation saga.

Questions have been raised about the advertisement completed by an agent for Djokovic, as posts on social media appear to show he was in Belgrade on Christmas Day before traveling to Australia from Spain on January 4.

On Tuesday, Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison received a call from his Serbian counterpart, Ana Brnabic, seeking to manage the diplomatic fallout of the visa revocation by insisting that Australia’s border policies are non-discriminatory.

Despite winning the court to restore his visa on Monday, Djokovic’s fate will now be determined by Australia’s immigration minister, Alex Hawke, due to his personal power to revoke the visa and deport the world’s number one tennis player.

Any decision to revoke the visa will likely be met with a new legal challenge from Djokovic, requesting an injunction to remain out of immigration detention so he can play in the Australian Open, where the man is chasing a Grand Slam record. individual address.

In order to cancel the visa, Hooke must be satisfied that there was a reason for the cancellation, such as a threat to public safety, and that cancellation was in the public interest.

That could lead to a new examination of Djokovic’s pre-travel announcement and his public appearance in the days following his positive Covid test result on December 16.

‘This press conference has been postponed’: Djokovic’s family on Novak’s positive Covid test – VIDEO

In the Australian traveller’s statement on January 1, Djokovic declared “no” when asked: “Have you traveled or will you travel within the 14 days prior to your trip to Australia?”

The announcement is accompanied by a warning that giving false or misleading information is a “serious crime” that is also punishable by civil penalties.

Djokovic said in documents submitted to the Federal Circuit Court that on January 1, he authorized his agent to make this declaration, before traveling to Melbourne from Spain via Dubai on January 4.

In his interview with Border Force officials on January 6, Djokovic confirmed that his agent had completed the announcement, “based on” the medical exemption approved by Tennis Club Australia, but was not asked in the interview about travel in the two weeks prior to arrival.

A Twitter post by Portuguese tennis correspondent, Jose Morgado, appears to show that Djokovic was in Belgrade at Christmas, posing with handball star Petar Djordic.

Djokovic was also photographed playing tennis in the streets of Belgrade in a post from December 26.

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Djokovic flew from Spain to Melbourne, arriving at 11:30pm on January 5.

Asked if the travel permit could provide new grounds for revoking Djokovic’s visa, a spokesman for Hook said the minister was still considering whether he would exercise his authority to do so.

In line with due process, Secretary Hook will carefully consider the matter. Since the issue is ongoing, for legal reasons, it is inappropriate to provide further comments.”

The travel announcement comes on top of anomalies reported on the official website showing Djokovic’s positive Covid test, which was the basis for his alleged medical exemption from vaccination. Der Spiegel reports that a QR code linked to Djokovic’s Covid-19 test on December 16, which was published in court documents on Monday, at times appeared to give a negative result.

According to Der Spiegel, access to Djokovic’s test result via a QR code on Monday evening Australian time revealed a negative test result, before a subsequent attempt showed a positive result.

The site only returned positive results when contacted by The Guardian on Tuesday.

Similarly, New York Times reporter Ben Rothenberg reported getting contradictory results from the same QR code.

Opinions vary within the Australian government on whether it should implement a zero-tolerance approach to vaccination requirements and refuse to exempt Djokovic based on his recent Covid test result.

A spokesman for Morrison said he had a “constructive call with Prime Minister Bernic this morning in Novak Djokovic”.

The Prime Minister explained our non-discriminatory border policy and its role in protecting Australia during the Covid-19 pandemic.

“Both agreed to keep in touch on this issue, and further strengthen bilateral relations.”

Last week, Morrison hesitated on the question, at first acquiescing to the Victorian state government about whether Djokovic should be allowed in without quarantine, before flipping back to declaring “rules are rules” and the vaccination requirement should be enforced.

In a statement on Tuesday, the ATP Tour said that while it fully respected Australia’s “strict immigration policies”, it was “clear that Novak Djokovic believes he has been granted a medical exemption necessary in order to comply with entry rules”.

“The chain of events leading up to Monday’s court hearing hurt on all fronts, including Novak’s well-being and preparation for the Australian Open.”

In a statement on Tuesday, Djokovic’s lawyers, Hall and Wilcox, confirmed that he attended the court hearing in their Melbourne office – despite the company’s policy requiring a Covid-19 vaccination – with a “medical exemption approved by our Covid official and managing partner”.

Djokovic’s agent and lawyer have been contacted for comment.

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