Home Office worker granted asylum applications for cash

The pair were sentenced at Preston Crown Court

A man who abused his position working in the Home Office by granting asylum applications in return for thousands of pounds has been jailed.

Imran Mulla, 39, from Blackburn, Lancashire, worked in the asylum team and manipulated the system to overturn a refused asylum claim, the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) said.

He was jailed at Preston Crown Court for four and a half years after admitting immigration offences and bribery.

Another man, Nural Amin Begh, 23, who pleaded guilty to paying Mulla to grant his asylum application has also been jailed for 18 months.

Mulla, of Moorfield Avenue, was an executive officer in the asylum team based in Manchester.

He had completed all his training including courses on security and data protection and counter fraud, bribery and corruption.

He managed a digital caseload and interviewed asylum seekers so he could consider their applications.

Begh, a foreign national from Bangladesh, was refused asylum on 15 February 2024. He was informed by letter and advised of the appeal policy.

The following day, he was contacted by Mulla, who obtained his details from Home Office systems.

Six days later, Begh, of High Street, Southampton, transferred £1,500 into Mulla's account. The pair communicated several times over the following days.

On 13 March, Mulla breached policy to allocate Begh's case to himself and granted the asylum application.

Begh transferred further money over the next few months, totalling £3,500.

Around the same time, on 7 March, Mulla rang his second target, a Turkish national who was waiting to hear if his asylum had been granted.

Mulla rang the Turkish national, giving a false name, and told the man his application was likely to be refused but he could help if he paid him £2,000.

He told the man he would call back later.

The man was concerned about the call so he reported it to his immigration solicitor and Mulla was arrested on 19 March 2024.

He made no comment during his police interviews.

While under investigation, Mulla continued to receive money from Begh.

'Abused his trust'

Muller pleaded guilty to conspiracy to assist unlawful immigration, unauthorised access to computer material and three counts of bribery.

Begh admitted conspiracy to assist unlawful immigration and two counts of bribery.

Frances Killeen, of the CPS, said: "Imran Mulla was in a trusted position in the asylum team at the Home Office.

"He abused that trust to line his own pockets by offering to change the outcome of asylum applications for money."

She added she hoped the case "sends a clear message the CPS is committed to working closely with law enforcement and immigration authorities to stamp out corruption".