Lawyer caught offering to make illegal-worker fine go away
BBC News
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Figure caption: Lawyer Mohammad Alias Yousaf advised how he could make a £45,000 illegal-working fine disappear.
By Ed Thomas, UK editor, Rebecca Wearn and Patrick Clahane
A solicitor, Mohammad Alias Yousaf (also known as Alias), has been caught on camera by the BBC offering to help a potential client avoid paying a £45,000 illegal-worker fine.
In a secretly recorded call, Alias claimed he could make the fine go away if the business owner could find someone overseas willing to take responsibility for the mini-mart.
He denied providing such advice to anyone or giving false information to the Home Office.
At least £150 million is currently owed to the UK government in uncollected illegal-working fines, according to Home Office figures obtained by the BBC.
In response, Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood announced a review of fine issuance and collection, thanking the BBC for its investigation.
Many business owners do not take the fines seriously, according to a law enforcement official who spoke anonymously. She described seeing notices for fines, some worth £40,000, left on mini-mart counters, with staff indifferent about paying them.
Alias came to light during a BBC probe into illegal working and criminality linked to High Street businesses, including mini-marts and barbershops. His name appeared in social media videos, advertised by Kurdish pages, where business owners praised his ability to resolve immigration fine issues.
Our reporter, posing as a mini-mart owner, contacted Alias and was quoted a 10% fee, upfront payment, to shift liability for the fine to someone outside the UK.
He asked, "Do you have anybody's name who we can use? Anybody who's gone back to Iraq, gone back to Iran?"
He then offered a fictional scenario involving a fake foreign owner.