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Fraud gang 'should have been spotted sooner'

Published on 28 May 2009 under category: legal

A gang of fraudsters made hundreds of thousands of pounds in a scam involving false visa applications, a court was told.

Two alleged illegal immigrants are on trial at the moment, accused of running the biggest visa fraud factory in Britain.

However, prosecutor Francis Sheridan said the evidence presented is a "damming indictment" of the government's actions and failure to spot the fraudulent activity.

In his summing up, he said: "The Home Office system was designed to operate with trust. The evidence shows it was naive in its conception and a shambles in reality."

A third member of the alleged scam, who has pleaded guilty, was found telling an undercover reporter that he could get a postgraduate diploma and other fraudulent documents for the price of around £4,000.

The solicitor, Jatinder Sharma, 44, said the Highly Skilled Migrant Programme had a good reputation and "will do good for you".

Earlier this week, Mike Bowron, commissioner at the City of London Police, said fraud is on the rise and his force will be cracking down on this crime.