A BARRISTER has been convicted of illegally providing immigration advice in London’s East End. Kwaku Boateng, 64, worked as a non-practicing barrister for Roraima Advice Services in Stepney, admitted the charge when he appeared in court
A BARRISTER has been convicted of illegally providing immigration advice in London’s East End.
Kwaku Boateng, 64, who worked as a non-practicing barrister for Roraima Advice Services in Stepney, admitted the charge when he appeared in court yesterday (Tuesday).
He later moved to Forest Gate, but continued to operate illegally. His victims paid in excess of �7,500 for his services which they did not receive, Southwark Crown Court heard.
Boateng was sentenced to 30 months, suspended for two years, and ordered to pay compensation totalling �1,050.
He had previously been regulated by the Office of the Immigration Services Commissioner, but had been de-registered in 2007.
“His victims were in a desperate situation,” the Immigration Services Commissioner Suzanne McCarthy said after the hearing.
“Boateng exploited them for his own financial gain. Illegally providing immigration advice ruins lives.”
The Commissioner’s remit includes eliminating “unscrupulous advisers” and investigating complaints.
It has been a criminal offence since 2001 to provide immigration advice unless the organisation involved has registered with the Immigration Services Commission, an independent public body set up under the 1999 Immigration and Asylum Act, or if it has been exempted or is otherwise qualified.
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