British Attorney General fined £5,000
The British Border Agency said that following an investigation it was satisfied Scotland had not knowingly employed an illegal worker and that she took steps to check documents provided by Tongan Loloahi Tapui as proof of her right to work in Britain.
“However, the law requires that employers must keep copies of documents proving the right to work in Britain and in this instance the employer failed to meet this requirement,” the Border Agency said in a statement announcing the fine.
Scotland, 54 — who was a minister in the Home Office when laws were passed to impose fines of up to £10,000 (€11,061) for bosses who employ illegal workers — apologised for her mistake.
Prime Minister Gordon Brown said the appropriate action had been taken and rejected calls that Scotland, who sacked the employee after it emerged she was in Britain illegally, should step down from her job as the government’s top legal adviser.
