A London immigration advisor who worked for the Immigration Advice Bureau on Katherine Road, East Ham, has been accused of heading a scam marriage business, arranging marriages between people whose visas had run out with British citizens in exchange for £8,000 between 2009-2010.

It is alleged that Mian Hanif, 52, from Ilford, headed up the scam from his office on Katherine Road, and was aided by another immigration adviser Saeed Afridee, 63, from Dagenham and matchmaker Ayaz Ghuree, 48, from Rush Green, Romford.

Mumtaz Ahmed has testified against Hanif, and said that he was prepared to pay the £8,000 in exchange for the marriage offered by Hanif which would guarantee his stay in the UK.

The trio are thought to have arranged the marriages of at least ten people, mainly between Pakistani men and eastern European women, usually from Latvia or Lithuania, said prosecutor in the case David Markham. As part of the arrangement the men would provide evidence, including photographs and false documents such as affidavits backing up the supposed loving relationships and purporting to be signed by the Commissioner for Oaths.

All three deny the charges.