The hard-up boss of two Chinese takeaways who used “vulnerable” asylum seekers at his two Aberdeen businesses has been told he “exploited them for cheap labour”.
Wengang Liu was “not doing well financially” so brought in cheap labour to staff the city’s Golden Crown and O’ Kitchen takeaways.
The 41-year-old maintained he became “misguidedly involved” while trying to “assist” them, but was told he had gained financially by exploiting the individuals in question.
Aberdeen Sheriff Court heard that despite none of the five workers having the right to work in the UK he paid them cash-in-hand for an undetermined period and housed them at various addresses across the city.
The father-of-two’s illegal immigration operation was eventually halted when officers from the UK’s Home Office swooped on the premises.
Home Office search premises
Fiscal depute David Rogers told the court that an ongoing investigation was being carried out by immigration officers into the situation of workers at the Golden Crown, on Crown Street, and O’ Kitchen, on Craigshaw Drive.
There was also an investigation being carried out into Liu himself.
“The police formed the opinion that the workers at both restaurants did not have the right to work there,” he said.
“A warrant was granted for both restaurants on July 26 2021 and officers from the Home Office Criminal and Financial Investigation and Immigration Compliance and Enforcement teams carried out a search of both premises on August 12 2021.
“A number of illegal workers were detected within the premises.”
Lui pleaded guilty to three charges of employing three workers at the Golden Crown who had not been granted the right to enter the UK.
He also admitted to two charges of illegally employing two workers who did not have the right to work in the UK at O’ Kitchen.
Accused was struggling financially
Defence agent Gregor Kelly said his client was “not a wealthy man” and had sold the restaurants due to financial woes just months before the raid, but still managed them.
He said Liu had come to the country in 1998 as an asylum seeker himself, gaining that in 2004 and British citizenship a decade later.
“He had a large network of friends in the Chinese circle in Aberdeen and is well regarded there,” the solicitor said.
“He was asked to assist asylum seekers – he had these properties and assisted by providing them accommodation.
“The extent of the financial payments made were for essential items.”
He added that there didn’t appear to be any financial gain and that he “misguidedly became involved” in the situation.
‘There’s an element of exploitation’
Sheriff Lesley Johnston said: “This sort of offence has a wide-ranging impact not only on the individuals you employed but on society at large and specifically businesses who do employ people legitimately, pay their taxes, and give people employment rights.
“There was an element of exploitation. These people were vulnerable and you did gain financially.”
She handed Liu, of Matthews Road, Aberdeen, 225 hours of unpaid work as an alternative to custody.
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