The Reverend Elwon John, 44, and Reverend Brian Shipsides, 55, performed the sham wedding ceremonies at All Saints Church in Forest Gate, east London, jurors were told.

Once wed, there were a “strikingly high proportion” who then made applications to the Home Office for the right to remain in the country.

In some cases, EU nationals were even flown into Britain just so the marriages could take place before being flown straight out again, Inner London crown court heard.

According to the prosecution, 31-year-old “fixer” Amdudalat Ladipo – herself an illegal immigrant – arranged the weddings between mainly Nigerian and EU nationals.

It was not until officers from the Metropolitan Police and UK Border Agency caught wind of the scam that the trio were finally rumbled on July 31, 2010.

All three are now charged with conspiring to facilitate unlawful immigration. Shipsides has already pleaded guilty. Ladipo and John deny the charges.

David Walbank, prosecuting, said, “This case involves a massive and systematic immigration fraud.

“At the centre of this fraud is one particular parish church in the east of London, All Saints Church in Forest Gate.

“The Crown’s case is that there took place in that church over a two-and-a-half year period a very large number indeed of sham marriages entered in to for the purpose of immigration.

“Most of the so-called couples participated in these marriage ceremonies were not actually couples at all.

“They were married in that church not because they wished to spend their lives together and wanted the blessing of the church, most of the persons married there for a very different reason.

‘Their ultimate purpose was to obtain enhanced rights to enter and live in the United Kingdom.” Mr. Walbank told jurors the majority of the marriages which took place were between Nigerians and nationals from the European Economic Area, mainly from Portugal and the Netherlands.

He added, “The fraud, the Crown suggest, wasn’t confined to one or two, or even a couple of dozen of ceremonies. We are concerned in this case with hundreds of sham marriages.

“On some occasions, EEA nationals were flown into the UK specially for marriages to take place and then flown back out again.”

 

Chetachi Obi, an aide to Hon. Nkiruka Onyejiocha Chidubem, representing Isuikwuato/Umunneochi Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives, has said her arrest last week for allegedly writing the Nov/Dec NABTEB examinations for her boss was a set up by political opponents of the lawmaker. Meanwhile, the Abia State Criminal Investigation Department (CID) has said investigation into the matter is on going as a team of police officers have been dispatched to Benin office of NABTEB to find out among other things, if the legislator was registered for the examination or not.

This is consequent upon denial by Obi that she was writing examinations as at time she was arrested by the police as her boss did not have need for such documents, having already obtained diploma and masters degrees from recognised educational institutions. Police source revealed that since the examination body has no office in Abia, it dispatched a team to Benin, Edo State, to cross-check facts regarding the allegations against Obi even as she has been released on bail. “We don’t want to be seen to be trading words with the suspect. This is not the first paper she is writing in the examination. You know politicians; they are only trying to launder their image. We are still investigating the matter. NABTEB has no office in the state. We are going to Benin to carry on with investigations”, it said.

Meanwhile, Obi has denied allegation of writing examination for her boss, stating that she was a victim of bitter political intrigues. She claimed an unknown person had earlier called her on phone to come to Unique Comprehensive High School, Isuochi in Umunneochi Local Government Area of Abia State, venue of the examination where she was subsequently arrested by policemen who took her to the state CID Umuahia, even as she said those who witnessed the event thought she had been kidnapped. “What happened was very unfortunate. The incident revealed the length some people who are desperate for political power can go. I was at Abia State University to complete the registration for my admission into the law faculty, when someone called that I should come to Unique Comprehensive High School for an urgent message from my boss.

When I got there, someone came out from the exam hall and asked me to wait for the message. Later, some police officers came and in threatening manner asked for my car key, which I gave to them. They drove me in a white Mercedes Benz car to Umunneochi Police Station and then to the state CID in Umuahia, where I was shown a letter from the Police Commissioner, purportedly written by some indigenes of Isuochi against my boss. When I asked to see the petitioner, they refused, saying it was a fight between two elephants and I am the grass,” Obi narrated. Asked why she answered a call from an unknown person, Obi said she usually receives calls from all manner of persons given the nature of her job in the constituency, even as she denied that her boss entered for NABTEB examinations, having obtained WASC, diploma, and masters degrees from Imo State University.

“Her first degree was on religious study, after obtaining a diploma that qualified her for direct entry for the degree programme” she said. The political aide said she was shown a petition at the state CID allegedly written by a ‘Concerned Citizens’ of Umunneochi, even as it bore no names and signatures, blaming it as handiwork of the lawmaker’s political enemies. She alleged the examination admission card with the name and photograph of the law maker was fake, saying as a public figure, the lawmaker’s photographs can easily be obtainable.

On close examination, it was discovered the lawmaker obtained only a pass in English Language and failed Mathematics when she sat for the West African School Certificate Examinations WAEC, in 1984 at Ovim Girls Secondary School, Afikpo,Abia State. However, investigations revealed that the, ‘Candidate Photo Card’ had names and passport photo of one Onyejiocha Nkiruka Chidubem , suspected to be those of the lawmaker, who entered for the Nov/Dec examination at the centre code 01060, with Candidate Number, 01060085 at Unique Comprehensive High School Isuochi, while other subjects for the examination are, 413-Office Practice, 001-English Language, 002-Mathematics, and five others.

•To stand trial on three-count charge