An Indian restaurant proprietor has been subjected to a prohibition from acting as a company director until the year 2031 by the UK government. This action was taken after he was found to have employed three undocumented workers from Bangladesh at his establishment in Hertfordshire, UK, known as The Taste of Raj, situated on High Street, Stanstead Abbotts.
The ban, which spans seven years, effectively bars him from engaging in any activities related to the establishment, formation, or administration of a company without prior authorization from the court. This measure came into effect on February 16.
Ikbal Hussain, aged 51, who has been the sole director of Tender Love Ltd since June 2014, was implicated in the employment of these workers following a raid conducted by Immigration Enforcement officials in 2020. The workers, all in their 40s and originally hailing from Bangladesh, disclosed that they had been employed for various periods ranging from four days to up to two months.
Hussain's failure to conduct the requisite right-to-work assessments before hiring these individuals resulted in a violation of the Immigration, Asylum, and Nationality Act 2006. This lapse in compliance not only constitutes a significant breach of statutory regulations but also falls short of the expected standards of conduct for company directors, as emphasized by Chief Investigator Kevin Read of the Insolvency Service.
Furthermore, Hussain was found to have neglected the maintenance of essential documentation verifying the eligibility of these workers to be employed in the UK, exacerbating the severity of the situation.
In response to these violations, Hussain opted to accept a disqualification undertaking from the Secretary of State for Business and Trade. Suran Padiachie from the Home Office of Immigration Enforcement underscored the detrimental impact of illegal employment practices, emphasizing how they disadvantage honest workers, jeopardize the well-being of vulnerable individuals, and defraud public coffers.
