A man filmed by BBC undercover reporters has been recorded saying he could help erase fines of up to £60,000 for businesses found to be employing people without the right to work. The individual, who described himself as an “accountant” and uses the name Shaxawan, is part of a group the BBC says helps migrants work illegally in mini-marts by registering those businesses in other people’s names.
Companies House lists the name Kardos Mateen, a British resident in his 30s, as director of 18 businesses across northern England. The BBC’s investigation found counterfeit tobacco for sale in four mini-marts where he is listed as director, and Trading Standards confirmed illegal cigarettes were found in several businesses registered under that name.
What the undercover reporters recorded
In recorded meetings and calls, the man known as Shaxawan told reporters he and his associates could:
– Set up a company, provide a card machine and business bank card so a migrant could accept payments.
– Arrange for “ghost directors” to register shops in their own names and take on the legal risk if enforcement action followed.
– Use intermediaries to take liability for fines issued by Immigration Enforcement, and pay people to have their names put on penalty notices.
– Rely on an “English woman” in the network who, he said, could handle electricity, gas, bailiffs and reduce fines to “zero.”
He outlined prices: about £400 a month to secure a ghost director, a one-off £140 fee for access to a business card, and around £2,000–£3,000 to pay someone whose name would be used to assume a fine. He told reporters the total cost worked out to roughly £4,600 per illegal worker and said the process of resolving a fine typically took around four weeks.
Examples from the undercover work
The BBC’s first undercover contact, using the name Saman, met Shaxawan in Manchester. During that meeting, Shaxawan called a man who he said could act as a ghost director. Identity documents shown to the undercover reporter identified that man as Bryar Mohammed Zada, a 28-year-old from Iran. Public records show Mr Zada has taken on numerous directorships for car washes and mini-marts around the country; undercover checks found illegal cigarettes being sold at several of his businesses.
A later meeting took place at RKS Solicitors in Huddersfield, where Shaxawan met the reporter and outlined how company details could be transferred so fines would not stick to the business operator. RKS Solicitors told the BBC it had no connection to any alleged immigration or fine-related misconduct and said it was carrying out an internal review; the firm said the individual concerned had been suspended pending investigation and that it had informed the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA).
The BBC also sent an undercover reporter, posing as a Kurdish mini-mart owner named “Ali,” who claimed to have received a £60,000 fine for employing two people without the right to work. He was given an appointment with Zohaib Hussain, listed on RKS’s website as a paralegal. During that meeting, Mr Hussain asked detailed questions about the fine and discussed strategies, including creating documents such as business agreements. He quoted a fee of £3,500 and said he “would look after us.”
Legal view and responses
Senior immigration lawyer Bryony Rest reviewed the footage and said the paralegal’s comments suggested falsifying documents and indicated there were likely fraud and immigration offences that should be investigated.
When approached, the people named denied the allegations. Mr Hussain replied by email denying “all allegations, insinuations, and claims.” Shaxawan (also identified as Kardos Mateen) emailed the BBC to categorically deny the reporting and said he was not employed by, associated with, or acting on behalf of RKS Solicitors. RKS said Mr Hussain is employed as a paralegal under supervision and is not authorised to provide immigration or tax advice.
The Home Secretary, Shabana Mahmood, said the Home Office would investigate the BBC’s findings and described illegal working and related organised criminality as an incentive for people to enter the UK illegally.
What this investigation highlights
The BBC’s two-part investigation points to an organised system in which businesses are registered in other people’s names, purportedly to let undocumented migrants work on high streets while shielding the actual operators from enforcement. Regulators and enforcement agencies have warned that weaknesses in parts of the labour market can create opportunities for exploitation and criminality. The BBC’s reporting and trading standards’ checks have already identified illicit tobacco sales and multiple company directorships linked to the names used in the investigation.
Authorities have been notified and the matter is under review by the firms and by government departments, with potential criminal and regulatory implications if the allegations are substantiated.
