23 July 2009 - Chief immigration officer claims marriage scam
A former chief immigration officer has lodged a claim for unfair dismissal and disability discrimination.
Neville Sprague, of South Croydon, claims he was dismissed from the asylum screening unit in Croydon after investigating sham immigrant marriages on behalf of the Public Inquiry Office. This is the Home Office department which gives foreign nationals permission to marry British citizens.
As a result of investigating a sample number of marriages that took place over a six-month period he believes that as many as 210 out of 300 were bogus. They were all from Ghana and bore striking similarities, with the use of false documents and false passport stamps.
Mr Sprague, a retired police officer before joining the UK Border Agency in 2001, will say that he was encouraged to desist from his investigation by his line managers.
On numerous occasions Mr Sprague told his superiors that the matter could not be ignored and that it would be dereliction of duty, as there was clear evidence of organised and widespread misuse of the system.
Mr Sprague was suspended for gross misconduct. An occupational health report stated that Mr Sprague suffered from diabetes and sleep apnoea which could account for his behaviour. However, the disciplinary investigation and subsequent dismissal failed to account for any medical or disability issues.
The Croydon Employment Tribunal will be told by Tony Bertin of Employment Relations Solicitors, representing Mr Sprague, that the dismissal was either related to Mr Sprague’s disability or to his protected disclosures before the disciplinary process, or both. Mr Sprague will say that he was sacked because he insisted on investigating crimes his department did not want recorded against statistics.
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Inquiries
Tony Bertin, Employment Relations Solicitors 01303 840001 tonybertin@employment-relations.co.uk
Anne Leva, Employment Relations Solicitors 01303 840001 Anne@employment-relations.co.uk
www.employement-relations.co.uk
