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Woman denies UK immigration racket
Published on: Mon, 16 Jan 2006 13:09:57 GMT
An employment agency boss from Devon is facing charges of illegally bringing foreign nurses and carers into the UK.
Melek Gokcay, 52, of Plymouth, is accused of forging signatures from care homes claiming workers had jobs when she applied for permits. She denies 18 counts of helping illegal entrants into the UK and 10 of attempting to help illegal entry. Plymouth Crown Court heard care homes had no idea that applications were being made in their name.
What she did was ride roughshod over the immigration rules of this country - Andrew Oldland, prosecuting
The court heard that Gokcay, as a director of Pearls International Nursing Agency, could make the arrangements for workers to come to the UK on a care home's behalf.
But she had to get a signed declaration from the employer that a job was waiting for them.
The court was told that by forging the forms to get workers quickly, Gokcay could offer her clients staff at short notice.
For each successful placement in work, Pearls would charge between ВЈ400 and ВЈ1,500.
Andrew Oldland, prosecuting, said: "The defendant used the details from legitimate applications to make other bogus applications.
"What she did was ride roughshod over the immigration rules of this country.
"She was breaking the law to her financial benefit, putting herself in a better position to make the sale to her clients.
"By doing what she did she could have available nurses or carers at short notice. The attitude was one of get them over here, it doesn't matter how then we will place them."
The case continues.
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