Gang ‘used bogus film firm’ for illegal immigrants’ visas

A FRAUD gang used a bogus film production company to con Border Force into sponsoring 53 illegal immigrants, a court has heard.

The gang pretended to pay “several thousands of pounds” to the job applicants, enabling them to get a UK visa between 2013-15, Westminster magistrates’ court heard.

Komal Varsani, prosecuting, said: “It involved mainly Pakistanis, whose visas were due to expire and were able to get unlawful leave to remain in the UK.

“The Crown say payments from visa applicants were churned through various accountants before being recycled back to the applicant as income for employment for jobs at the company UK Film Productions. In terms of the sums involved, it spans several thousands of pounds in relation to the transfer of money paid into different accounts. In total, there were 53 individual applicants through this fraudulent facility.

“It arises out of a Home Office investigation into suspected immigration fraud in relation to a company called UK Film Productions Ltd, which had the ability to grant sponsorship via the UK Border Agency. This allowed them to sponsor individual applicants to apply for visas for entry into the UK.”

The director of UK Films Productions Ltd and seven of his employees appeared today charged with a series of fraud charges. Company director and holder of the sponsorship licence David Choudry, 49, appeared with accountants Abdul Sandhu, 42, Muhammad Syed, 34, and Sarfraz Shah, 45, and four other workers, Hameed Khattak, 38, Amir Pervaiz, Muhammad Mehtaf, 35, and Jeswin Jose, 32.

Choudry, Jose, Mehtaf, Syed, Shah, Pervaiz and Sandhu were granted bail under the condition they reside at their listed address, surrender passports and do not apply for travel documents.

Khattak was granted bail under the same conditions.

They will enter pleas at Southwark Crown Court on Apr 15.