Two men sentenced for assisting unlawful immigration

05 February 2026

Today, two men have been sentenced by the Royal Court for assisting unlawful immigration.

Philip Ozouf received 120 hours community service and a £5,000 fine, while Roberto Lora received a £5,000 fine.

Ozouf and Lora deliberately and knowingly arranged for Rwandan migrant workers to undertake work which fell outside the conditions of their work permits.

The case is the first of its kind for the Jersey Customs and Immigration Service, JCIS.

A lengthy and complex investigation by JCIS established that the two men had arranged for legitimately employed hospitality workers to carry out work at Ozouf's private laundry business, despite his full awareness that this breached the Work Permit Policy.

Evidence gathered during the two-year long investigation also confirmed that a number of Rwandan workers had been directed to undertake unauthorised work at both Ozouf's, and in one case, at Lora's home addresses.

The Head of the Jersey Customs and Immigration Service, Rhiannon Small said: "JCIS officers have worked extensively to bring this case before the Court, and today's outcome clearly reflects the Service's determination to identify, investigate, and prosecute immigration offences.

"This case underlines our commitment to robustly investigating immigration offences wherever they occur.

"JCIS will continue to prioritise the safeguarding of migrant workers and uphold the integrity of Jersey's immigration system.

"I would like to take this opportunity to thank the JCIS officers involved in this case for their diligence and the detailed work undertaken to ensure this case reached a successful conclusion."​