An Indian solicitor has been struck off the roll for orchestrating sham marriages and submitting fraudulent applications to help migrants enter the UK. Mathew Chellam, 53, engaged in a complex web of deceit to swindle the British government and facilitate illegal immigration.
Mathew Chellam, described as having spun a web of lies and deceit, was involved in providing a package of 'false and fictitious' evidence to the Home Office between 2012 and 2013. His actions resulted in him being paid handsomely for his services. In 2016, following a trial at Snaresbrook Crown Court, Chellam was handed an eight-year jail sentence. The judge condemned his behaviour as 'misleading' and 'deceitful.'
Despite his conviction, Chellam has since returned to India, and his current address remains unknown. The judgment, dated July 5, indicates that Chellam has not been traced since his departure.
Professional Background and Fraudulent Activities
Chellam began his career as a legal advocate in India. In 2013, he was admitted to the UK roll of solicitors after applying through the Qualified Lawyers Transfer Scheme. However, between April 2011 and August 2014, Chellam made fraudulent applications to the Home Office for Non-EEA (European Economic Area) residence permits to assist unlawful immigration.
The Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal (SDT) heard that Chellam provided immigration advice and services without the required qualifications between October 2012 and January 2013. Solicitors offering such advice must be registered with the Office of the Immigration Services Commissioner (OISC), which Chellam was not.
The Deception Uncovered
Chellam submitted false paperwork to the Home Office, including fake birth certificates and wage slips from sham cleaning companies. He also arranged bogus weddings between Indian and French nationals, reportedly taking place in Ghana, where 'customary marriages' by proxy are legally recognised.
In a series of police raids in 2014, including one at the Maamala Restaurant in Manor Park, East London, Chellam's handwriting was found on several documents. Two secret offices were discovered at the rear of the restaurant, where immigration records bearing his law firm's letterhead were seized. Additionally, forged Ghanaian birth certificates and genuine French identity documents were found.
Tribunal Findings and Sentencing
The SDT found Chellam guilty of assisting unlawful immigration to a member state, five counts of providing immigration advice without being qualified, and seeking leave to remain by deception. The tribunal highlighted that his actions were a fundamental affront to the fairness and justice of legal proceedings, particularly as he exploited the rules to create a fiction of eligibility for his clients.
"A solicitor acting with integrity would not have committed a crime repeatedly. The gravity of the offence was reflected in [Mr Chellam's] custodial sentence," the panel noted. Chellam's fraudulent activities caused tremendous harm to the reputation of the legal profession.
Judge Oscar Del Fabbro, presiding over the trial at Snaresbrook Crown Court, stated: "A serious aggravating feature of these offences of which you have been unanimously convicted is that you were a lawyer at the time - purporting to provide legal services to clients who no doubt were paying handsomely for your corrupt services."
The tribunal ordered that Mathew Moghan Rajamohan Chellam be struck off the Roll of Solicitors and pay the costs of the application and enquiry, fixed at GBP 4,058.00. The SDT's order emphasised the significant damage Chellam's actions caused to the legal profession's integrity and reputation.
