Leicester clothing manufacturing company director banned for 7 years

Asimali Alihusen, the director of AJ Design (Leic), a Leicester clothing company, has signed a disqualification undertaking, banning him from acting as a director for seven years, from 18 February, for allowing the company to employ illegal workers.

This follows an investigation by the Insolvency Service, working with the Home Office.

Alihusen is now banned from acting as a company director or from managing or in any way controlling a limited company until 2023.

Alihusen of Leicester was a director of AJ Design (Leic) from 15 January 2013 to 12 June 2015. On 15 April 2015, a time when he was a director, the company was found to be employing 17 workers who were not eligible to work in the UK.

The business, a manufacturer of clothing, went into liquidation on 12 June 2015 owing £270,600 to creditors, including £255,000 for a fine imposed by Home Office Immigration and Enforcement for employing illegal workers.

Sue MacLeod, chief investigator of insolvent investigations, Midlands & West at the Insolvency Service, said: “Illegal workers are not protected under employment law, and cheat legitimate job seekers out of employment opportunities. Those who employ them defraud the taxpayer and undercut honest competitors. This should serve as a warning to other directors who may feel tempted to break the law.

“The Immigration law makes employers responsible for preventing illegal working in the UK. To comply with the law, a company must check and be able to prove documents have been checked prior to recruitment, showing a person’s entitlement to work.”