A Bangladeshi-origin politician in the United Kingdom allegedly abused his mayoral office to seek immigration visas for 41 family members and friends from Bangladesh, according to a Telegraph investigation published in London.
Councillor Mohammad Amirul Islam, 47, who served as mayor of Enfield Council in north London until May, is accused of sending both 鈥榦fficial鈥� and 鈥榙octored鈥� letters on council letterheads to the British High Commission in Dhaka.
The letters requested that visa applications from his acquaintances be treated 鈥榝avourably鈥�, with assurances that their expenses would be covered and accommodation arranged at his house.
The case has triggered a probe by the UK Home Office into alleged immigration offences and drawn criticism within British politics.
Amirul, suspended from the Labour Party in June 2025, is now facing calls to resign from his council post.
An independent 160-page investigation scrutinising documents from Enfield Council concluded that Amirul misused his position by trying to 鈥榓dvance personal interests鈥� and 鈥榓ssist family, friends and associates鈥� from Bangladesh.
Some letters were reportedly sent before he even became mayor, the report said.
Although 41 individuals were invited to his mayoral inauguration in May 2024, only one reportedly managed to attend.
The controversy has drawn attention in Bangladesh, as the letters were addressed to the British High Commission in Dhaka, raising questions about how far local embassy staff were pressured to act on such requests.
Amirul, a married father of two and a cybersecurity specialist, denied wrongdoing and told the Telegraph that he was following practices of some predecessors.
He has, however, been asked to issue an unreserved apology.
A Home Office spokesperson said that all allegations of immigration crime were thoroughly investigated.