Wolverhampton 'sham' marriages set up for illegals, claim

Men from the Indian sub continent with no right to be in the UK could be given permission to reside here by marrying a women from the European Economic area, Wolverhampton Crown Court was told.

So people in Wolverhampton started setting up sham weddings to cash in on the arrangement, said Miss Elisabeth Bussey-Jones, prosecuting.

Home Office investigators and police uncovered the scam when they swooped on a suspect marriage that was taking place at Wolverhampton Register Office on June 26 last year, the court heard.

Among those arrested was a witness of the ceremony called Mohammed Akhtar from Wolverhampton, said Home Office official Andrew Butters who added: "His home address was searched and documents were seized."

These included the paperwork for three fake ceremonies that had already taken place, it was alleged.

There were fake utility bills, bank letters suggesting the bogus newly weds had lived together before getting hitched, stunted photos of the couple together and even letters of approval supposedly sent by the parents of the men, disclosed Miss Bussey-Jones.

She also revealed that Akhtar and two others involved - Leon Horvat and his mother Vera Horvatova, both from Dunstall Road, Dunstall - had already pleaded guilty to counts 'that concern this case.' The lawyer added: "This was part of a commercial operation with people paying money to achieve residents rights."

The brides involved - Petra Michalkova and sisters Lucie and Veronika Ondicova - all lived in Wolverhampton and at least two of the ceremonies had taken place at the city's Register Office, the jury heard.

Miss Bussey-Smith said: "They were knowingly and willingly involved in these sham marriages that were amongst a group of marriages arranged by Mohammed Akhtar. Leon Horvat also played a role in organising false weddings." Near identical lists of Czech females and Indian males were found at two addresses used by Akhtar and Horvat and his mother, it was alleged.

Michalkova aged 33 from Carter Road, Dunstall denies conspiracy to facilitate a breach of the immigration law between March 22 and October 30 last year by participating in a marriage with Manpreet Dhaliwal. Lucie Ondicova, 25, and her sister Veronika, 25, both from Gatis Street, Whitmore Reans, each denied a similar charge. The former involved a marriage with Sarabjit Singh and the latter with a man named Rana Muddassar.

The trial continues today.