Nigerian lawyer’s trafficking sentence appeal dismissed

THE Court of Criminal Appeal has dismissed an appeal by a Nigerian lawyer against his four-year sentence for trafficking illegal immigrants into Ireland.

Olaitan Ilori, aged 40, a father of four, of Oak Drive, Blessington, Co Wicklow was convicted in July 2007 on 12 counts of organising or knowingly facilitating the entry into the state on October 27, 2004 of 12 adult Mauritian nationals whom he knew, or had reasonable cause to believe, were illegal immigrants.

The group, including Ilori, travelled to Ireland via Paris and had paid substantial amounts of money to MDI — a company in Mauritius — to be provided with entry visas and work permits.