Baroness Scotland may give evidence in UK work visa case

November 30 2009 by Liam Clifford

Housekeeper trial over UK visa may call Baroness to give evidence.

Attorney General Baroness Scotland may be asked to give evidence at the trial of her former housekeeper, who has been charged with immigration offences and the use of fraudulent documents to gain work and a UK visa.

Loloahi Tapui denies fraud and is set to plead not guilty in court to accusations that she used a fake passport to gain employment with Baroness Scotland.

Tapui’s spokesperson is PR guru Max Clifford, who stated that the Tongan national will opt for trial by jury and that the Attorney General could be called as a witness by Tapui.

Tapui was released on bail after her initial arrest and is scheduled to appear in court in the City of Westminster on 7 December.

Clifford added that Tapui will argue that there were “mitigating circumstances” to her overstaying her student UK visa. "She is claiming she never misled Baroness Scotland and has never given anyone false information,” he asserted.

Baroness Scotland says she did not employ Tapui with knowledge that she was an illegal immigrant, but she did fail to make and keep copies of her documents. She was fined £5,000 for hiring a foreign national without a UK work visa.

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