Restaurant boss banned for seven years for employing illegal workers
The boss of a Newcastle restaurant company has been banned from acting as a director for seven years for allowing her company to employ illegal workers.
Newcastle County Court disqualified Guat Gor Goh, a director of Golden Paragon Ltd from 24 February 2011 to 17 September 2013.
She was found on 9 May 2013 to be employing three workers who were not eligible to work in the UK while she was a director.
The business, a restaurant, went into liquidation on 17 September 2013, owing £184,187 to creditors, including £15,000 for a fine imposed by Home Office Immigration and Enforcement for employing illegal workers.
Neither Goh nor any counsel appointed on her behalf attended the hearing in the proceedings.
On 22 December 2015, District Judge Looma at the county court in Newcastle-Upon-Tyne made a disqualification order against Ms Goh for seven years from 12 January. The order bans Ms Goh from acting as a company director or from managing or in any way controlling a limited company until 2023.
Sue MacLeod, chief investigator of insolvent investigations, Midlands & West at the Insolvency Service, said: "Illegal workers are not protected under employment law, and as well as cheating legitimate job seekers out of employment opportunities, these employers defraud the taxpayer and undercut honest competitors. This should serve as a warning to other directors who may feel tempted to break the law."
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