Former Aberdeen Chinese takeaway manager fined after illegal workers discovered during immigration visit

A former manager of a Chinese takeaway in Aberdeen has been fined and banned from being a company director for seven years after employing illegal workers.

Qiqing He, 54, hired three workers at the former Chinese Cooking takeaway on Holburn Street.

Immigration Enforcement Officials visited the premises in September 2022 and discovered three Chinese nationals in their 50s and 60s who had no right to work in the UK.

He was disqualified as a director at a hearing of the Court of Sessions in Edinburgh in January and has been banned from being a company director for seven years.

Dave Magrath, Director of Investigation and Enforcement Services at the Insolvency Service, said: "Company directors have a responsibility to follow all the rules and regulations expected of them. Qiqing He clearly failed to do this, employing three people who had no right to work in the UK.

"Illegal working puts some of the most vulnerable people in society at risk of exploitation, undercuts honest employers who pay their taxes, and encourages others to break our immigration laws.

"Improving director conduct is a key priority for the Insolvency Service and we will continue to work with our partners at the Home Office to clamp down on those who do not meet the standards we expect."

Company fined £30,000

He was the director of QQ Holburn Limited, the company which Chinese Cooking traded through.

Despite formally resigning as director of the company in May 2022, He had continued to control and manage the business.

He admitted he had employed the workers and was responsible for paying them.

Immigration Enforcement fined the company £30,000 for the breach and the penalty remains unpaid.

QQ Holburn stopped trading as a company in March 2024.

A Chinese takeaway with a different company and trading name currently operates from the same address as the former Chinese Cooking. He is not a director of this company.

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