Restaurant booze ban over illegal employees

AN Indian restaurant on the outskirts of Cheltenham has been banned from selling alcohol after a Home Office raid found six illegal workers at the premises.

Koloshi Indian Restaurant and Bar in London Road, Charlton Kings had its premises licence reviewed and revoked this week by Cheltenham Borough Council.

The restaurant previously had a licence to sell alcohol every day from 9am to midnight and live or recorded music could be played indoors and outdoors from 8pm to midnight.

However, the Home Office requested a review of the licence after its officers visited Koloshi on April 1, this year and found six immigration offenders.

In August, Koloshi Gold (GB) Ltd was fined £90,000 for employing six people who did not have the right to work in the UK.

The legal representative for the licensee told the licensing sub-committee on October 11 that he could not comment on what the Home Office representatives said in relation to the raid and the finding of illegal workers there.

“My client became the owner subsequent to that. My client didn’t know about this raid until he learnt from the council about the review.”

He said they were not there to justify anything that had happened during the previous ownership.

His client has not had any issues with illegal working in 25 years of being in the industry, he said.

“He appreciates the damage that it does to the country and the people. It is a bonafide change of ownership.”

Licensing chairman David Willingham (LD, St Peters) said the committee considered all the evidence put before them. He said the committee was unanimous in its decision to revoke the premises licence.

“Six workers with immigration issues suggest complicity in providing work for trafficked individuals. This raises questions over exploitation, failure to pay national insurance and tax and national minimum wage.”

He said given the rapid sale of the business for £100,000 a lot more due diligence should have been undertaken.

“People related to the company Koloshi Gold are still involved with the company Three Gold.

“On balance of probabilities the committee thinks the owners and the documentation still show evidence of control by Koloshi Gold and CBS Properties Limited. The committee is concerned these are all interconnected with the company Three Gold.

“The committee is concerned the current owner could still facilitate illegal working.”