Illegal Nigerian immigrant arraigned in UK for fake marriages

Posted by admin Africa & World Politics, Headlines Wednesday, January 25th, 2012

Two Church of England vicars conducted “hundreds” of sham marriages to help illegal immigrants stay in Britain, a court heard on Wednesday.

The Reverend Elwon John, 44, and Reverend Brian Shipsides, 55, performed the sham wedding ceremonies at All Saints Church in Forest Gate, east London, jurors were told.

Once wed, there were a “strikingly high proportion” who then made applications to the Home Office for the right to remain in the country.

In some cases, EU nationals were even flown into Britain just so the marriages could take place before being flown straight out again, Inner London crown court heard.

According to the prosecution, 31-year-old “fixer” Amdudalat Ladipo – herself an illegal immigrant – arranged the weddings between mainly Nigerian and EU nationals.

It was not until officers from the Metropolitan Police and UK Border Agency caught wind of the scam that the trio were finally rumbled on July 31, 2010.

All three are now charged with conspiring to facilitate unlawful immigration. Shipsides has already pleaded guilty. Ladipo and John deny the charges.

David Walbank, prosecuting, said, “This case involves a massive and systematic immigration fraud.

“At the centre of this fraud is one particular parish church in the east of London, All Saints Church in Forest Gate.

“The Crown’s case is that there took place in that church over a two-and-a-half year period a very large number indeed of sham marriages entered in to for the purpose of immigration.

“Most of the so-called couples participated in these marriage ceremonies were not actually couples at all.

“They were married in that church not because they wished to spend their lives together and wanted the blessing of the church, most of the persons married there for a very different reason.

‘Their ultimate purpose was to obtain enhanced rights to enter and live in the United Kingdom.” Mr. Walbank told jurors the majority of the marriages which took place were between Nigerians and nationals from the European Economic Area, mainly from Portugal and the Netherlands.

He added, “The fraud, the Crown suggest, wasn’t confined to one or two, or even a couple of dozen of ceremonies. We are concerned in this case with hundreds of sham marriages.

“On some occasions, EEA nationals were flown into the UK specially for marriages to take place and then flown back out again.”

-Punchwp_posts