An immigration solicitor who was convicted of immigration offences last April was ordered to pay back £650,000 in criminal proceeds last month.

Chris Christodoulides, who is currently serving a nine-year prison sentence, was given a year to pay up or face a further three-year jail term.


Judge Timothy Stow found that Christodoulides had benefited to the tune of £1.2 million from his criminal activities. Police say he forged birth certificates, criminal records and bank statements - charging £2,000 a time - to help clients gain entry into the UK from Romania. At one point, he is reported to have been responsible for half of all visa applications from Romania to the UK under the European Community Association Agreements Schemes, intended for people who want to set up businesses in the UK.



Christodoulides pleaded guilty to charges of conspiracy to defraud the Home Secretary, conspiracy to facilitate illegal entry to the UK, and attempting to pervert the course of justice earlier in the year (see [2005] Gazette 28 April, 4).