Home Office worker granted asylum applications for money
A Home Office caseworker took more than £3,000 in bribes to grant the asylum claim of a Bangladeshi migrant.
Civil servant Imran Mulla, 39, rang the Bangladeshi man the day after his asylum claim was refused in February 2024 and offered to take over his case to secure him the right to stay in the UK in return for money.
Six days later, Nural Amin Begh, the 23-year-old Bangladeshi national, transferred £1,500 into Mulla's bank account. Mulla, who was working as part of an asylum claims team in Manchester, breached Home Office policy by allocating Begh's case to himself and granting his asylum application.
Begh continued to transfer more money over the next few months, to a total of £3,500, in return for his successful asylum claim.
On Tuesday, Mulla was jailed for four-and-a-half years after his scam was uncovered when he tried a similar tactic on a Turkish national who blew the whistle.
Securing unauthorised access
At Preston Crown Court, Mulla pleaded guilty to assisting unlawful immigration to the UK, securing unauthorised access to computer material with intent to commit or facilitate an offence, and three counts of bribery.
Begh, who pleaded guilty to conspiracy to assist unlawful immigration to the UK and two counts of bribery, was jailed for 18 months.
Mulla was foiled after contacting another target, the Turkish national who was waiting to hear if his asylum had been granted, on March 7, 2024. After ringing the asylum seeker, and giving a false name, he told the man his application was likely to be refused but that he could help if he paid him £2,000.
'A trusted position'
The Turkish national then contacted his immigration solicitor. Mulla was arrested 12 days later, on March 19. He made no comment in a police interview.
Frances Killeen, senior crown prosecutor for CPS North West, said: '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.
'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.'
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