C. (O.O.) v. Refugee Applications Commissioner and Ors

and Hausa tribes. This is an outline only of events referred to by the Applicant. When asked at interview as to whether at any stage did he report the matters to the police, he replied:-

Questions were asked of the Applicant as to why he did not stay in either Mali or Dubai and while the answers given are not the same as those given in the Questionnaire, they could not be considered as inconsistent therewith. The interview concluded with this exchange:-

Not only was no good or sufficient reason for extending the period provided for under Section 5(2)(a) put before the court, no reason at all was offered nor was any claim made to extend time.

The Applicant appealed the decision/recommendation of the Commissioner (the basis of complaint against whose decision was withdrawn at the court hearing) on 2nd April 2001. The grounds of appeal related to (a) political opinion and (b) religion: the statement of appeal set out in a single document what had earlier been placed before the Commissioner in a number of documents. The Applicant had the benefit of an oral hearing of his appeal and legal assistance in both preparing and presenting his appeal.

The member of the Refugee Appeals Tribunal (hereinafter referred to as 'the Tribunal'), whose recommendation was affirmed by the Respondent Minister, concluded that the Applicant had not established a well-founded fear for a Convention reason. A ground of challenge at ground (K) of the statement grounding the application for leave before the court is expressed in this way:-