Aboubakar Kabamba and Minister for Immigration, Citizenship and Multicultural Affairs (Citizenship)

The Administrative Appeals Tribunal considered an application for citizenship by conferral made by Mr Aboubakar Kabamba, which had been refused by the Minister for Immigration, Citizenship and Multicultural Affairs. The central dispute concerned whether Mr Kabamba was of good character for the purposes of section 21(2)(h) of the *Australian Citizenship Act 2007* (Cth).

The Tribunal was required to determine whether Mr Kabamba's criminal history, including recent convictions and repeated driving offences, demonstrated that he was not of good character. The Tribunal also considered character references provided by Mr Kabamba in its assessment.

In reaching its decision, the Tribunal weighed Mr Kabamba's criminal record against the character references. It found that the nature and recency of his convictions, particularly the repeated driving offences, were significant factors that weighed against a finding of good character. The Tribunal affirmed the Minister's decision to refuse citizenship.