A Luton man has been jailed for 18 months and recommended for deportation for illegally working in the UK and falsely obtaining construction skills certification cards, following a Construction Industry Training Board (CITB) investigation.
34-year-old Indian national, Manjit Multani, paid someone to sit the health and safety tests required to obtain the Construction Skills Certification Scheme (CSCS) card and Construction Plant Certification Scheme (CPCS) card. He then used the cards to work on various building sites across London and Milton Keynes.
He also used a number of fake names in order to work illegally in the UK.
Mr Multani was arrested by Home Office Immigration Enforcement officers in February but failed to answer his bail. He was then arrested again on motoring offences when they discovered he was wanted by police.
He pleaded guilty in Luton Crown Court last month to eight charges, including misuse of identity documents and fraudulently obtaining leave to remain in the UK.
Ian Sidney, Fraud Investigator at the Construction Industry Training Board – which owns the CPCS card scheme – led the investigation into Mr Multani’s cards and qualifications and immediately revoked his CPCS card in February after the tip off from the Home Office.
Mr Sidney assisted the Home Office with its investigation and provided a witness statement which was considered during sentencing.
Ian Sidney said: “The risks these people pose when illegally working in the construction industry are huge, so it’s encouraging to see that those who do brought to justice. Fraud is incredibly damaging to the reputation of the industry and worse, it puts people’s lives in jeopardy.
“Building sites can be hazardous if workers do not have the relevant training and qualifications, so it is lucky no one was injured. We simply will not tolerate any illegal activities and will continue to work with the police to prosecute fraudsters.”
