7-year ban on Indian restaurant owner in UK for employing illegal immigrants

An Indian restaurant owner has been banned from being a company director for seven years until 2031, after employing three illegal workers at his restaurant in Hertfordshire, UK.

The seven-year ban prohibits him from being involved in the promotion, formation, or management of a company without the permission of the court, which came into effect on February 16.

Ikbal Hussain, 51, hired the workers at The Taste of Raj, located on High Street, Stanstead Abbotts. The workers were detected after the restaurant was raided by Immigration Enforcement officials in 2020.

The workers revealed that they had been employed for varying durations, ranging from four days to up to two months, according to UKNIP digital news portal.

Hussain, the sole director of Tender Love Ltd since June 2014, was found guilty of hiring the workers without conducting necessary right-to-work checks, violating the Immigration, Asylum and Nationality Act 2006.

“Ikbal Hussain’s failure to ensure the required checks were carried out resulted in the employment of three illegal workers, in contravention of the Immigration, Asylum and Nationality Act 2006. This represents a serious breach of legislation and of the standards expected of company directors,” stated Chief Investigator Kevin Read of the Insolvency Service.

The workers, originally from Bangladesh and in their 40s, were found during the raid.

In addition to failing to perform right-to-work checks, Hussain neglected to maintain essential documentation proving the workers’ eligibility to work in the UK, making the situation even worse.

Suran Padiachie from the Home Office of Immigration Enforcement said, “Illegal working cheats honest workers out of employment, puts vulnerable people at risk, and defrauds the public purse.”

As a consequence, Hussain accepted a disqualification undertaking from Secretary of State for Business and Trade.