IMMIGRATION officials dished out top-class visas to illegal immigrants in exchange for BRIBES, it is claimed.

Civil servants at the UK Border Agency are accused of opening the door to dozens of Nigerians whose visa applications would otherwise be refused.

It is said they gave them "indefinite leave to remain" in this country, which allows immigrants to work here and eventually acquire British citizenship.

Yesterday, the Home Office said two of its officials had been sacked over the alleged racket.

They face trial for misconduct in a public office.

An agency spokesman said: "Any allegations of corruption and misconduct are thoroughly investigated and we will take action swiftly where we find members of staff who we believe have broken the law."
The scandal is the latest in a string of controversies to hit the agency, which was set up three years ago to take control of immigration.

Last year its independent chief inspector, John Vine, found "serious failings".

And a report from him this February listed further concerns regarding visas.

In 2009 an illegal immigrant escaped from the channel port of Folkestone after arriving in the UK by clinging to the bottom of a bus carrying border agency staff back from France.

And in January, an immigration officer who apparently disliked his wife was sacked after he added her name to a security watchlist in the hope that when she travelled to Pakistan she would be barred from returning to Britain.
Nigerian immigrants have previously been linked to organised drugs trafficking, financial fraud, identity theft and immigration crime by British cops.

Each year the British high commission in Nigeria handles about 100,000 visa applications, refusing 46 per cent of entry clearance requests — an average of 126 refusals each day.

The officials charged over the "bribes for visas" scam are Samuel Shoyeju, an agency entry clearance officer whose job was to vet applicants for UK visas, and Violet Savizon, an immigration officer.

Legal sources said b
oth defendants denied the charges.
http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/3557566/Illegals-given-visas-for-bribes.html

Siena:

Terrible! What country is Samuel Shoyeju from?

That name sound Nigerian to me

Siena:

I guessed as much. Hardly surprising.

Not at all, the moment i saw the headline i knew we are on the news again. . sadly for all wrong reasons

A senior border official is facing a “substantial” prison sentence after pleading guilty to issuing visas to “scores” of non-European citizens who had no right to stay in Britain.
Samuel Shoyeju, 53, had tens of thousands of pounds deposited in his bank account as he committed a “vast breach of trust” by allowing immigrants to remain in the country indefinitely, Basildon Crown Court heard.

The prosecution conceded that it could not prove he was motivated by money, but the father of three was remanded in custody pending sentencing, after he admitted one count of misconduct in a public office. Six further counts, including the concealment of funds and the possession of false Nigerian passports, were dropped.

The case will heap further pressure on the UK Border Agency, which is embroiled in controversy after allowing hundreds of thousands of foreigners to enter the country without full passport and anti-terrorism checks.

Brodie Clark, the head of the UK border force, resigned on Tuesday, accusing Theresa May, the Home Secretary, of misleading the public over the Government’s compliance in the pilot scheme.

Shoyeju, from Canvey Island, Essex, was employed as a senior border official at the agency’s head office in Croydon, where he vetted African applicants for British passports, and granted “indefinite leave to remain” to non-eligible foreign nationals. He had also worked as an entry clearance officer in Nigeria, the court heard
Lucy Kennedy, prosecuting, said various documents suggested that he had been paid by the beneficiaries of the counterfeit visas he unlawfully issued. Cash payments in the tens of thousands were also going through his accounts at the time of the offence, on or before April 2008, she added.

Miss Kennedy said: “There is an inference to be drawn that he was motivated by money, he did not do it out of the kindness of his heart. This was not an act of charity.”

But Stephen Linehan QC, defending, insisted the allegation should not be taken into account when sentencing, arguing: “It cannot be proven that he did it for money.”

Judge Christopher Mitchell concluded it was “somewhere between charity and a business”. He turned down an application for bail, warning Shoyeju he faced a “substantial period in custody”.

He will be sentenced following the trial of a co-defendant, Violet Savizon, 47, from Thornton Heath, south London, who is charged with three counts of misconduct in a public office, conspiracy and breaching immigration laws.

A third defendant, Rashidat Aina-Obe, 36, from Dagenham, Essex, had pleaded guilty to fraud. She is believed to be the recipient of a letter falsely granting her indefinite leave to remain in the UK, and will be sentenced at a later date.



http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/immigration/8882858/Border-official-gave-away-visas-for-tens-of-thousands-of-pounds.html