Rogue: Nigerian Samuel Shoyeju was jailed for falsely granting indefinite leave to remain to 44 non-EU residents who were not entitled to stay in the country

A UK Border Agency official who illegally issued scores of visas to immigrants which allowed them indefinite leave to remain in the UK has been jailed for seven years.
Nigerian Samuel Shoyeju was jailed for falsely granting indefinite leave to remain to 44 non-EU residents who were not entitled to stay in the country.

It has also emerged that many of those immigrants who received the visas almost four years ago still remain at large today.

Only 14 of the false letters that Shoyeju issued have been recovered, meaning most of the recipients have not been identified.
In jailing Shoyeju, who worked as a senior immigration officer, Judge Christopher Mitchell said the case threatened to undermine the hard-won reputation for 'probity and honesty' of British civil servants.

He added: 'Actions like yours call into question in the public mind the entire integrity of the immigration system when, at the present time, immigration and immigration decisions are extremely sensitive.'

Basildon Crown Court heard the 'treasured status' allowed immigrants to live, work and claim benefits as well as applying for full British citizenship.
The recipients, who are all believed to be Nigerian, ranged from asylum seekers to those who had already identified as 'overstayers'.

Prosecutor Lucy Kennedy said: 'Not all of those people have been traced.'

She added: 'This case has cost the taxpayer a significant amount of money, both in terms of the investigation and in terms of those who remain in the country untraced.
'He abused the system he was employed to protect and he did so for his own selfish reasons, not out of some misguided sense of altruism.

'It was a breach of trust which will no doubt undermine confidence in public servants employed to protect UK borders.'
Shoyeju, who worked as a line manager in Croydon, amended and destroyed electronic and paper records to cover his tracks.

Problems: Samuel Shoyeju was an immigration officer for the UK Border Agency. Many of those immigrants who received the visas from him are still at large today
He used colleagues' date stamps and accessed secure databases under other people's names to divert attention away from himself.

When his home computer was searched a file called 'Nigerian names' was found, relating to those he planned to grant visas to.

He was able to use a generic computer log-in to transfer secure files from Home Office systems without being identified, Ms Kennedy said.

'That system relies on the integrity of immigration officials themselves,' Ms Kennedy added.

'He had been employed to uphold immigration rules but, using his intricate inside knowledge of the system, he deliberately did the opposite.'

The 53-year-old, of Namur Road, Canvey Island, Essex, admitted misconduct in public office by falsely granting indefinite leave to remain between 2006 and 2007.

Although the prosecution has not been able to prove a financial motive, the court heard thousands of pounds were paid into his bank account during the time of the offence.

Stephen Linehan QC, in mitigation, said that there was not sufficient evidence that Shoyeju had a financial motive and could not be sentenced on that basis.
Judge Christopher Mitchell said: 'An immense amount of public time and money has been spent investigating and preparing this case.'

Shoyeju arrived in the UK in 1988 and was allowed to remain until 1991 as a student.

The married father-of-three was then granted indefinite leave to remain as the spouse of a British citizen and was granted full citizenship in 1996.

He began working as an immigration officer in 2002.


Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2066621/Rogue-Border-Agency-official-granted-treasured-status-44-illegal-immigrants-jailed-SEVEN-years.html#ixzz1erKhy7W5

Happens to be Yoruba

If this criminal had been an easterner/Anioma, Yorubas would have congregated here to  do what they know most.
He should serve a life sentense

This is how sensible societies enforce their laws, not by accepting "Oga Abeg sir" pleadings. Not by asking looters and incompetent liars to "take a bow and go"

Punish lawbreakers and everybody benefits. Shikena.

frosbel:

Happens to be Yoruba

As it is in the beginning, it is now and ever shall be.

he wasn't even born in UK

Francis-1:

Ndi ofemma nile bu ndi oshi. Ndi omekome

Well said.

Not surprised

The british will never again be comfortable employing africans in immigration. 44 people before he got caught