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| Version 2 | Version 3 |
|---|---|
| Blackmail case judges face probe | Blackmail case judges face probe |
| (about 3 hours later) | |
| Two judges involved in a high-profile blackmail trial are to be investigated by the judicial watchdog. | Two judges involved in a high-profile blackmail trial are to be investigated by the judicial watchdog. |
| Immigration judges Mohammed Ilyas Khan and his female colleague - known only as Judge J - will be investigated by the Office for Judicial Complaints. | Immigration judges Mohammed Ilyas Khan and his female colleague - known only as Judge J - will be investigated by the Office for Judicial Complaints. |
| Brazilian cleaner Roselane Driza worked illegally for both judges. Both said they were unaware of her status. | |
| The lord chancellor said there was particular concern over the issue of hiring an illegal worker. | |
| The lord chancellor and lord chief justice decided there were "sufficient grounds" for a preliminary investigation. | |
| The investigation will also look at the impact of other issues on the image of the judiciary. | The investigation will also look at the impact of other issues on the image of the judiciary. |
| Driza, 37, told the court she found two intimate videos of Judge Khan - in one he was with Judge J and she was apparently snorting cocaine. Judge J strongly denied any suggestion she had taken drugs. | |
| Driza, who is liable to eventually be deported back to Brazil, was also convicted of stealing intimate videos from Judge Khan. | |
| Neither suspended | |
| Driza was acquitted of blackmailing Judge Khan but convicted of the same offence against Judge J. | |
| There was great media interest in the case, with the court hearing how Judge J and Judge Khan had been lovers, with the latter eventually starting an affair with Driza. | There was great media interest in the case, with the court hearing how Judge J and Judge Khan had been lovers, with the latter eventually starting an affair with Driza. |
| Roselane Driza was working illegally in the UK | Roselane Driza was working illegally in the UK |
| Neither judge - who are both employed by the Asylum and Immigration Tribunal - will be sitting while the inquiry is ongoing. | |
| Judge Khan, who sits as a Recorder, will remain on full pay, while Judge J, on sick leave with stress for 18 months, will continue on the same pay. Neither has been suspended. | |
| Officials conducting the investigation will speak to the judges and "relevant third parties", likely to include Driza and witnesses from her trial. | |
| They will pass their findings to a nominated judge, who has not yet been named. | |
| The judge will then advise the lord chancellor and lord chief justice whether the matter should be taken further. | |
| Sanctions available following the investigation range from warnings and reprimands to removal from office in extreme circumstances. | |
| A statement from the Department for Constitutional Affairs said: "The lord chancellor and the lord chief justice strongly believe that the public must have confidence in judges, and take seriously any allegations against them of misconduct... | |
| "In particular the lord chancellor and lord chief justice are concerned about the allegation that Mr Khan and Ms J employed Miss Driza as a cleaner when she was ineligible to work in this country." | |
| The statement added: "On a more general note, the lord chancellor and lord chief justice have great confidence in the professionalism and high standards of the judiciary as a whole and consider it unfortunate if these allegations are seen as calling this into question." |