Former Lancashire Home Office employee jailed for bribery
Mulla worked as an executive officer in the asylum team
A man from Lancashire, who abused his position by granting asylum applications for money, has been jailed.
Imran Mulla, 39, from Blackburn, worked as an executive officer in the asylum team based in Manchester.
He managed a digital caseload and interviewed asylum seekers, considering their applications.
Amin Begh, a foreign national from Bangladesh, was refused asylum on 15 February 2024.
The following day, he was contacted by Mulla, who obtained his details from Home Office systems.
Six days later, Begh transferred £1,500 into Mulla’s account. The pair communicated several times over the following days.
Begh transferred further monies over the next few months totalling £3,500.
Around the same time, on 7 March, Mulla rang his second target, a Turkish national who was waiting to hear if his asylum had been granted.
Mulla rang the Turkish national, giving a false name, and told the man his application was likely to be refused but he could help if he paid him £2,000.
The man was concerned about the call so he reported it to his immigration solicitor and Mulla was arrested on 19 March 2024.
He eventually pleaded guilty to immigration offences and bribery after manipulating the system to overturn a refused asylum claim.
He was jailed for four and a half years.
Amin Begh was also jailed for 18 months, after he paid Mulla to grant his asylum application.
"trusted position"
Frances Killeen, Senior Crown Prosecutor for CPS North West, said: “Imran Mulla was in a trusted position in the asylum team at the Home Office.
“He abused that trust to line his own pockets by offering to change the outcome of asylum applications for money.
“I hope this case sends a clear message – the CPS is committed to working closely with law enforcement and immigration authorities to stamp out corruption.”