A Muslim civil servant has been jailed in Britain for approving the asylum claim of a Bangladeshi “refugee” in exchange for cash and soliciting a bribe from a Turkish applicant.
Imran Mulla, an employee of the UK Home Office, was sentenced to 4.5 years in jail this week after pleading guilty to conspiracy to assist unlawful immigration, unauthorised access to computer material and three counts of bribery at Preston Crown Court on March 12.
Mulla, 39, worked as an executive officer in the Home Office asylum team in Manchester where he managed asylum cases and interviewed asylum seekers to assess their applications, when he accepted a total of £3,500 to overturn a a refused case last year.
The asylum applicant Nural Amin Begh, 23, was also sentenced to 1.5 years in jail after earlier this month pleading guilty to conspiracy to assist unlawful immigration and two counts of bribery.
Begh, a Bangladeshi national, had previously applied for asylum in the UK but was refused on the February 15. Mulla used the Home Office systems to find Begh’s details, and contacted him the next day.
Over the following week, Mulla received £1,500 from Begh, and on March 13 Mulla arranged for Begh’s case to be assigned to himself and authorised the application. Begh continued sending Mulla money to a total of £3,500.
On March 7, Mulla, under a fake name, contacted a Turkish asylum applicant and stated that their application was likely to be rejected, but offered to help for a payment of £2,000.
The Turkish applicant, suspicious of the call, told an immigration solicitor who then reported it to the authorities resulting in Mulla’s arrest on March 19.
Frances Killeen, Senior Crown Prosecutor for Crown Prosecution Service North West said Mulla had abused public trust for financial gain.
“Imran Mulla was in a trusted position in the asylum team at the Home Office. He abused that trust to line his own pockets by offering to change the outcome of asylum applications for money,” she said.
“He abused that trust to line his own pockets by offering to change the outcome of asylum applications for money.
“I hope this case sends a clear message – the CPS is committed to working closely with law enforcement and immigration authorities to stamp out corruption.”
Header image: Imran Mulla (Lancashire Police).
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