Barrister in immigration scam tripped up by crutch
ABARRISTER has been given a suspended prison sentence for her role in an immigration scam - which was exposed when police spotted a CRUTCH in her living room.
Hamdalat Rafiu-Amusa, 39, from Dover Street, Rochdale, pleaded guilty to facilitating a breach of immigration law.
She was caught when police called at her home and noticed a crutch in the corner of her living room.
They knew another person, who they suspected had used Rafiu-Amusa’s identity to get a job, walked with a limp. But RafiuAmusa told officers the crutch belonged to a friend called ‘Silifat Wahab’ who sometimes looked after her children.
Police and immigration officers then left her home in Dover Street, but were suspicious and returned five minutes later.
When they returned the crutch had been moved along with a pair of shoes that had been on the floor.
Rafiu-Amusa told officers she was alone in the house, but then admitted there was another woman upstairs.
Officers found Elizabeth Bello, who had disappeared after living the UK illegally, sitting on a mattress.
At the time Rafiu-Amusa was working as a care worker in the NHS.
But she had qualified as a lawyer in Nigeria and at the University of Huddersfield gained a Bachelor of Law degree with Honours, and a Masters degree in International Law.
At Manchester Crown Court Rafiu-Amusa was sentenced to 10 months prison, suspended for two years.
It was alleged she had allowed Bello to use her identity to gain employment.
In May 2018 officers from GMP’s Specialist Fraud Investigation Unit and the Immigration Enforcement Criminal and Financial Investigation Team had launched an investigation into claims that Bello was falsifying working documents to remain in the United Kingdom illegally.
In September 2012 Bello made an application for a job with a cleaning company, Floorbrite, in RafiuAmusa’s name.
Proof of identity was supplied in the form of a residence permit, which was due to expire in July 2013, a National Insurance Card, and a bank statement. The company later received from Bello a further residence permit.
Her wages for the job were paid into a bank account in the name of Hamadalat Rafiu-Amusa.
Bello has since pleaded guilty to an offence of fraud in which she admitted that between December 2012 and October 2017 she dishonestly made false representation by posing as Hamdalat Rafiu-Amusa, intending to make a financial gain for herself.
Bello had been an absconder from immigration control. In June 2014 her application for leave to remain in the UK on the basis she had been in the UK for 10 years was refused, with no appeal.
The next time Bello was seen was when police and immigration officers attended Rafiu-Amusa’s home in May 2019.
During a search of the property documents relating to the employment by Floorbrite of a person working under the name of Hamdalat Raifu-Amusa were found. There was a file marked ‘Hamadalat Payslips’ which contained P60s issued by the company for tax years, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, and 2017.
When interviewed under caution at Bury Police Station Rafiu-Amusa denied any wrongdoing and said she was looking forward to the police letting her know who had been using her identity.
She said Bello helped to look after her children and sometimes stayed overnight.
Bello is now in custody awaiting sentence for fraud by false representation.
Detective Sergeant Jeff Taylor, of GMP’s specialist Fraud Investigation Unit, said: “Despite her education and her standing within the Nigerian community Amusa proved to be a thoroughly dishonest person.”