Couple caught with illegal workers at Chinese takeaway in the Highlands banned as directors

A couple have been banned as directors of a company after hiring illegal workers at a Chinese takeaway in the Highlands.

Yu Jian Chen, 39 and wife Yunqin He, 38, were directors of The Jade Garden restaurant in the village of Bonar Bridge on the north bank of the Kyle of Sutherland.

Immigration Enforcement officials visited the premises in January 2023, and found two Chinese men and a Malaysian woman with no right to work.

The Jade Garden, which had been trading under the company name JG Sutherland Limited, was fined £45,000 for the immigration breach, which remains unpaid.

The Secretary of State for Business and Trade accepted disqualification undertakings from Chen and He, and their five-year bans began on September 19.

The disqualifications prevent the pair from becoming involved in the promotion, formation or management of a company, without the permission of the court.

Chen resigned as a director of the company five days after the Immigration Enforcement raid.

Dave Magrath, director of Investigation and Enforcement Services at the Insolvency Service, said: “Yu Jian Chen and Yunqin He failed to comply with their statutory obligations by employing three people who did not have the right to work at their takeaway.

“Employers hiring illegal workers not only defraud the public purse but potentially put some of the most vulnerable people in society at risk of exploitation.

“We are pleased to be supporting the Home Office with their activities by taking firm action against rogue company directors.”

Brian Gillespie, the Home Office’s Immigration Compliance Enforcement lead for Scotland, added: “Illegal working undercuts honest employers, places vulnerable individuals at risk of exploitation and disadvantages legitimate job seekers.

“It also impacts public finances as taxes are not paid by these businesses and workers, which is why tracking down unscrupulous employers is so important.

“We’re pleased to secure these bans following an effective and close working relationship between the Home Office and the Insolvency Service.”