A FATHER of five who ran a massive international sham marriage operation from his suburban family home in South Yorkshire is facing a jail sentence.
Immigrant Talib Hussain, 42, flew Eastern European women to Islamabad for bogus weddings with Pakistani men, who could then apply to live in the UK under European open borders laws.
Helped by his ex-wife, Rahina Zaman, he orchestrated the “huge, well-organised, professional operation” from his suburban semi in Rotherham, Sheffield Crown Court heard.
More than 60 applications for UK visas were submitted to authorities, accompanied by fake documents and photos of the bogus weddings.
But the UK Border Agency became suspicious when they noticed the same people appeared in many of the photos - and the same clothes were being swapped between brides, grooms and guests to make the pictures look genuine.
The couple and seven other members of the network appeared at Sheffield Crown Court and will be sentenced for immigration offences on Friday.
Nine others who were connected to the conspiracy are also due to be sentenced at a separate hearing.
Sarah Wright, prosecuting, said by marrying women from the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Britain, the Asian men would have been eligible to move to Europe, and wanted to live in the UK.
Since the offence, Hussain, who entered the UK on a spouse visa in 1998, and Zaman have divorced and his house has been repossessed, the court was told.
Both pleaded guilty to breaching UK immigration law shortly before they were due to go on trial.
FULL STORY IN THE STAR ON FRIDAY, JANUARY 18, 2013.