A restaurant has been fined £30,000 for employing illegal workers following an investigation by the Insolvency Service (IS) and Home Office Immigration Enforcement.

Officers found that Nawab Lounge Ltd, which traded as Nawab Indian restaurant in Thatcham, Berkshire, employed three people who didn't have a right to work in the UK.

The restaurant owner, Rokeya Monir, has been banned from being a director for seven years.

David Brooks Chief Investigator with IS said: "The Insolvency Service rigorously pursues directors who fail to pay penalties imposed by the government for breaking employment and immigration laws.

"The director sought to gain an unfair advantage over her competitors by employing individuals who did not have the right to work in the UK in breach of her duty as a director.

"The public has a right to expect that those who break the law will face the consequences. If you fail to comply with your obligations, the Insolvency Service will investigate and you run the risk of being removed from the business environment."

The restaurant has since gone into liquidation.

A disqualification order has the effect that without specific permission of a court, a person with a disqualification cannot:

• act as a director of a company
• take part, directly or indirectly, in the promotion, formation or management of a company or limited liability partnership
• be a receiver of a company's property.

For further advice on any of the issues raised in this article, or for employment law advice more generally, please contact JPP Law on 020 3468 3064 or email info@jpplaw.co.uk