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Aberdeen restaurant facing second fine for illegal workers
30 January 2012
A UK Border Agency operation has caught 3 men working illegally at an Aberdeen restaurant. This is the second time illegal workers have been found there.
Acting on intelligence received, agency officers targeted the Jewel in the Crown in Crown Street on Friday 27 January 2012.
After the immigration status of staff was checked, 2 Bangladeshi men and 1 man from Nepal were found working illegally at the restaurant. The Nepalese man and 1 of the Bangladeshi men are being detained pending their removal from the UK. The other Bangladeshi man must report regularly to a police station, as steps are taken to remove him from the UK.
The Jewel in the Crown has been served with a civil penalty notice for employing the illegal workers. If the employers are unable to provide evidence that legally required checks were carried out before giving the workers a job - such as asking for a passport or a Home Office document - a fine of up to £30,000 will be imposed.
Agency officers previously visited the restaurant in September 2010, when 4 illegal workers were found and a fine of £20,000 was imposed.
Adam Scarcliffe, assistant director of the UK Border Agency in Scotland said:
'The UK Border Agency is working constantly to stamp down on people who are in the country illegally and the businesses which employ them.
'Employing illegal workers undercuts honest businesses and defrauds the public purse. There is no excuse for using illegal labour, and if people ignore our immigration laws, we will find them and remove them from the country.'
Every year, the UK Border Agency imposes civil penalties on thousands of companies which failed to carry out legally-required checks on their staff.
Employers unsure of the steps they need to take to avoid employing illegal workers can see the Preventing illegal working section, or they can call the UK Border Agency's Employers Helpline on 0300 123 4699.
Anyone who suspects that illegal workers are being employed at a business can report this using the Report immigration crime form or contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.