A disgraced solicitor and an elderly couple who ran a bogus college have been jailed for helping potentially thousands of unqualified illegal immigrants stay in the U.K.
When police raided the Academy College of Education (ACE) and Academy College of Training and Recruitment (ACTR) they found ten bedsits in a building described by a judge as: "An epicentre for the manufacture of fraudulent documents."
Solicitor Adeyinka Adeniren, 40, of Thurlow Street, West Norwood, South London (pic.3rd l.) was sentenced to eight-and-half years.
Tiamiyu Bello, 75,(pic.l.) and his wheelchair-bound wife Christina Bello, 67,(pic.2nd l.) both of South Croxted Road, Dulwich, South London were sentenced to five years' imprisonment.
The Nigerian gang specialised in helping fellow-countrymen and women fraudulently obtain leave to remain in the U.K and furnished them with worthless qualifications - mostly in the healthcare industry.
"You exposed the most vulnerable members of society to your scheme," Judge Heather Baucher told the gang at Croydon Crown Court.
"They were exposed to employees who on the face of it seemed to be trained when that was not the case.
"How many sick and ill people have been treated by people who thanks to your fraudulent acumen had no skills whatsoever?
"Only you know if it was hundreds or thousands that beat a path to your door."
Adeniren - who was admitted to the Solicitors' Roll despite being caged for fifteen months for conspiracy to obtain U.K. passports twenty years ago - boasted to police he had made £500,000 from criminal Legal Aid work.
"You were the central player. You referred clients to the Bello's for documentation," Judge Baucher told the solicitor. "There was no end to the documents you were prepared to use.
"You were a man prepared to stop at nothing. You had total disregard for your office of solicitor.
"You are a disgrace to your profession and have brought shame on the profession as a whole."
The father-of-two claimed to run Walworth-based Julius Ceaser Solicitors' alone, but employed illegal immigrant staff, who paid no tax or national insurance contributions during the four-year scam.
"You masterminded this whole operation and you were not satisfied with the half a million you made from criminal work," added Judge Baucher.
ACE based in a run-down building in New Cross road, New Cross (pic.r.) by the Nigerian-born Bello's who settled in the U.K. in 1963 and have been married 46 years.
"There was nothing to suggest it was a college.....Eight to ten people were living there, it was divided into bedsits from basement to attic.
"The purpose was to make money and help your fellow-Nigerians," Judge Baucher told the Bello's. "Your reputation spread far and wide.
"Such was the reputation of this so-called college people who did not know each other would talk on the bus about how to get not only cheap certificates, but false certificates.
"You were regularly providing certificates and courses for Home Office qualifications. They paint a truly horrific picture."
A string of employment agencies - specialising in healthcare - received applications from ACE students who held the bogus qualifications they had never studied for.
Lambeth-based Allied Health Group and Lewes-based Cooksbridge Care were just two of the companies shown certificates from ACTR.
"You gave not one jot of thought to that," added Judge Baucher. "You left a catalogue of destruction in your wake. You failed society in your greed. You did all this for money."
The Bello's provided fraudulent qualifications in care assisting, home care, food hygiene, health and safety, PR, business and computer studies, marketing and O and A levels.
These qualifications made it easier for students to gain Home Office approval to remain in the U.K. and were backed up by bogus references provided by the Bello's.
"ACE and ACTR were no more than a sham........The whole sham was an exercise in deception," said the judge."
All three defendants denied, but were convicted of conspiring to facilitate a breach of immigration law between January 1, 2004 and November 30, 2008.
The Bello's were also convicted of conspiring to possess articles for use in fraud, namely City and Guild Certificates, ACE certificates and other educational qualifications between January 16, 2007 and September 19, 2007.
This is a gross miscarriage of justice for the Bello family. The Academic College of Education was a bonafied college in early 1990s, before the premises were turned into bedsits. The forged documentation linked to this trial was predominantly found in a resident's room. There was absolutely no evidence of financial gain to the Bellos for their alleged involvement in this case, and in short they have been victims, or dare I say, scape goats for a policitally charged agenda, namely student based immigration. The trial itself should be deemed as a mis-trial. Rather than speculate on issues we do not know about, support your fellow countrymen, who have found themselves caught up in a nightmare that could happen to any of us. From what I know about the case, the Bellos were treated as guilty before they were even tried, and from what I have read above, even their fellow Nigerians have taken the same stance without knowing the facts. At this present time, a 67 year old wheelchair bound woman, who needs 24 care, has been taken from her family into custody. Where is the justice?
ReplyDeleteThis is a gross miscarriage of justice for the Bello family. The Academic College of Education was a bonafied college in early 1990s, before the premises were turned into bedsits. The forged documentation linked to this trial was predominantly found in a resident's room. There was absolutely no evidence of financial gain to the Bellos for their alleged involvement in this case, and in short they have been victims, or dare I say, scape goats for a policitally charged agenda, namely student based immigration. The trial itself should be deemed as a mis-trial and from what I know about the case, the Bellos were treated as guilty before they were even tried. It is all very well for authorities to go after an elderly retired couple and accuse them of things that have supposingly taken place over 15 years ago knowing full well they are now old & defensless and the people who use to work around them can no longer vouch for them by giving evidence because they are now deceased or no longer around. At this present time, a 75 year old Grandfather and 67 year old wheelchair bound Grandmother of 10, who needs 24 care, has been taken from their family into prison. Where is the justice in this?
ReplyDeleteThis case is a clear case of rasicm and particularly a case revenge on the bello's for helping a lot of Nigerian have a footing in the UK, the Bello have been running schools in the UK since the early 80's. Anyone that knows Mr Bello in particular, knows that he does things strictly by the law and has championed a lot of cases on behalf of Nigerian in the UK against the UK oppression for so long, it is a sad case indeed.
ReplyDeleteFor those of you who think these people have not been made scapegoats for a politically charged agenda for immigration, then just look at the sentencing. Anyone that agrees to send any disabled women of 67 and elderly man of 75 to prison for 5 years when they are not a threat to society should be ashamed of themselves. We as British citizens complain all the time that 'Drug Dealers' & 'Murders' are left free to roam our streets as our prisons are full, but our authorities can find space to put an elderly couple that may only have a few years to live in order to send a message out. I feel ashamed, and before anyone asks, I am a 'White', 'British Born' lady!
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