From Fake News to Fabricated Asylum Claims
Asylum seekers and their advisers are employing a variety of fabricated evidence, including fake news websites, staged political protests, and bogus medical conditions, to support false asylum claims. This deceptive practice constitutes a sham industry, which also involves charging migrants for guidance on how to pose as gay to secure asylum, as revealed by the first part of an undercover investigation into the immigration system.
Other methods include paying to contribute articles to atheist magazines and hiring individuals to impersonate same-sex partners.
At an office located off the busy Mile End Road in east London, on a Tuesday evening in early April, an undercover reporter received instruction on how to apply for asylum. Posing as a Bangladeshi student who had recently dropped out of university, the reporter expressed interest in asylum as a means to remain in the country.
Zahid Hasan Akhand, who introduced himself as a barrister, explained the various options and strategies to deceive the Home Office.
Gay, Atheist or Political Activist
Akhand outlined three asylum routes for someone in the reporter's position: claiming persecution based on sexual orientation, religious beliefs, or political views.
He stated he would manage the legal aspects, but the reporter needed to decide whether to pretend to be gay, an atheist, or a political activist. Each option required effort. For a legal fee of £1,500, Akhand offered assistance in preparing the application, conducting mock interviews, and preparing for the official interview.
However, the reporter would also need to produce evidence to convince the Home Office of the claim's authenticity. Akhand mentioned knowing individuals who could assist in creating such evidence and offered introductions if other means failed.
The cost for fabricated evidence ranged between £2,000 and £3,000, depending on the chosen asylum path.
For an atheist claim, the process would begin by making social media posts insulting Islam or the Prophet Muhammad.
"Religious clerics will start making comments threatening to kill you. Then you will see that your evidence has been created,"
Akhand said he would introduce the reporter to atheist organisations in the UK and Bangladesh that operated online blogs or magazines where, for a fee, posts could be made to lend credibility. He suggested using AI tools like ChatGPT to write blog or article posts.
Additionally, attendance at events organised by groups for former Muslims was necessary, with active participation encouraged, as "this is not the age of posts anymore, it is the age of live videos."
Akhand proposed a narrative for the Home Office:
"You would say that you became an atheist after coming here. You were not one in Bangladesh,"
He later added that writing under a pseudonym while in Bangladesh was an option.
Regarding verification, Akhand remarked:
"There is no way to know who is an atheist and who is not…You just told me that you are not an atheist, which means you are not an atheist. But there is no system to check these things."
Akhand described the political asylum route as difficult, requiring a legal case against the applicant in their home country. Conversely, pretending to be gay was easier because the Home Office would not extensively investigate the applicant's past.
"For gay cases, it's private, but politics and atheism are public,"
he explained.
"So establishing that is a bit difficult."
He offered connections to people who could assist in fabricating evidence.
For fake gay claims, evidence included membership in various clubs and visits to those clubs, as interviewers often inquire about such details. Additionally, a partner would be provided to supply a letter confirming the relationship.
Akhand noted:
"If you go to those associations, you will not get caught out. Most of the people there are not gay."
When asked if he had handled similar cases where the applicant was not genuinely gay or atheist but succeeded, Akhand responded:
"Everyone is being successful, God willing. If you listen and get the evidence arranged properly, it will be successful."
He advised the reporter to first decide between atheism or gay grounds before outlining a full plan.
Akhand qualified as a barrister in 2022 but does not hold a licence to practice, making him a non-practising or unregistered barrister. It is illegal for someone in this position to refer to themselves as a barrister in connection with legal services.
Akhand's LinkedIn profile lists him as working at Lextel Solicitors, and he appeared on the firm's website at the time of the meeting, though the site has since been taken down.
Lextel stated Akhand was not an employee and had ceased working for them approximately two years prior but remained listed due to lack of formal notice to quit. They denied any record of the meeting occurring at their office and said Akhand was associated with other businesses in the same building.
Akhand denied knowingly acting illegally or dishonestly, stating the meeting was introductory, the journalist was not a client, and he did not believe he provided regulated immigration advice. He also clarified he never claimed to be a practising barrister and that his affiliation with Lextel had ended long ago.
Fake Websites
Akhand is not the only adviser willing to facilitate false claims. Investigations uncovered multiple fake asylum applications assisted by another Bangladeshi lawyer between 2018 and 2021, many of which were successful.
These claims often asserted that applicants were atheists and also gay or bisexual.
Evidence submitted included online articles posted on websites purporting to be genuine news outlets. Internet records indicate these websites were established by individuals connected to the group.
Some articles alleged applicants were named in lawsuits in Bangladesh due to political or religious activism. However, no other sources corroborate these lawsuits, and verifying them is difficult because Bangladesh courts primarily use paper records.
Other claimants appeared in news articles on these websites describing marriages to gay partners and subsequent homophobic abuse from unnamed parties.
The websites seem designed to publicise alleged threats to asylum applicants and were often created by a caseworker at an east London law firm.
Aside from a few articles naming specific applicants, the websites largely contain plagiarised content copied from major news agencies and authentic Bangladeshi media.
One website lists an "editor-in-chief" with no online presence, such as LinkedIn or social media profiles.
Political Protests
Several asylum applicants cited posts they had written for a Bangladeshi gay rights website active only briefly during the application period, which has since been taken offline.
Other false claims reportedly used photos from political protests staged solely to capture images for submission to the Home Office.
Multiple asylum seekers reported being encouraged by advisers, whom they paid, to visit general practitioners and feign depression, using medical records to support their claims. One even pretended to be living with HIV.
Besides fabricating evidence, advisers also promise to train applicants on how to behave during Home Office interviews, where applications are evaluated.
One adviser told the undercover reporter they would provide a sample questionnaire with recent questions asked of other applicants to aid preparation.
At an event in Rochdale, an asylum seeker told the undercover reporter that his solicitor coached him on facial expressions and reactions during Home Office interviews.
"She told me to cry,"
he said.
"I replied, 'I can't cry'. I told her 'I'm not capable of overacting'."
Additional reporting by Paul Myers
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