During a primetime interview on Albania’s public broadcaster, Eglantina Legisi described what she termed as the harsh treatment of immigrants in the United Kingdom, particularly those arriving from Albania. The interview, aired late last month, focused on the anxiety and fear experienced by new arrivals who are hesitant to register for essential services such as schools and hospitals due to fears of deportation.

Legisi, who works as a freelance translator for the Home Office, asserted, “I deal with immigration cases on a daily basis. The asylum system is chaotic,” highlighting her professional involvement and experience in navigating the UK’s immigration system. She further detailed a harrowing account of a young man who, fearing deportation after missing his trial date, expressed suicidal thoughts to his social worker.

While offering this critique of the UK’s handling of asylum seekers, it was later revealed that Legisi was simultaneously involved in an alleged fraudulent scheme designed to exploit the immigration system she publicly condemned. The Daily Mail reported that mere days before the broadcast, she had provided detailed instructions to an undercover reporter on how to obtain false guarantors to deceive judges into granting bail for illegal immigrants.

The investigation began when the Mail monitored social media posts by families of immigrants in detention centres who were seeking guarantors. Legisi responded to enquiries from these families, stating that, for a payment of £3,000 plus an additional £1,000 as a surety, she could supply another interpreter who would act as a guarantor in a bail hearing.

In a follow-up meeting with an undercover reporter near her home in Welling, Kent, she described the mechanics of the scheme. She reassured that the relationship between the immigrant and their guarantor would be fabricated to appear credible, claiming that both the guarantor and the solicitor they worked with would be briefed about what to say during the bail hearing. “We prepare… he knows to teach him what to say,” she explained.

At this meeting, she also expressed plans to return to Albania in five years, once her son completes his education in the UK, to reunite with her husband who remains in Albania.

Legisi’s collaboration extended to solicitor Hassan Malik of HM Legal Ltd, whom the undercover reporter later approached regarding the bail application. Malik indicated that he would charge £3,500 for his services and reassured the reporter that any concerns regarding the immigrant’s knowledge of the guarantor could be navigated through careful preparation. “I will tell him what to expect,” he stated.

When questioned about the implications of the arrangement, Malik reassured the reporter that it would not pose a problem if the guarantor were also of Albanian descent, suggesting that community ties could provide a cover for the scheme.

Despite the serious nature of these revelations, Malik later denied any wrongdoing, asserting that he was unaware of any payments for a guarantor and distancing himself from Legisi’s remarks.

This unfolding situation raises significant questions regarding the integrity of the immigration and asylum system in the UK, as well as the vulnerabilities exploited by individuals involved in facilitating illegal entries and detentions. The Daily Mail’s investigation has illuminated critical issues surrounding the complexity of immigration law and the potential for manipulation within the legal framework designed to protect vulnerable individuals.

Source: Noah Wire Services