Goodwin Ichiban Limited was formed in June 2011 and traded as Ichiban Noodle Café. Shui Ping Lee, who was the company director of the Japanese-Chinese restaurant in Glasgow, has been disqualified for hiring an illegal worker.

In January 2017, Home Office Immigration Enforcement requested evidence of documents in respect of an employee. After not being able to provide the correct information, Goodwin Ichiban was fined £15,000 for employing the employee as he/she was working illegally in the UK.

After not being able to pay the fine, the company was placed into liquidation in October 2017. Following this, the Insolvency Service investigated into the company’s collapse and on 31 May 2018, the Secretary of State accepted the disqualification undertaking from Shui Ping Lee after admitting he had employed an illegal worker.

Shui Ping Lee is now disqualified from being a director of a company for three and a half years.

Commenting on the ban, Dave Elliot, lead investigator at the Insolvency Service said:

‘Illegal workers are not protected under employment law, and as well as cheating legitimate job seekers out of employment opportunities, these employers don’t ensure appropriate tax is paid, and as a result can undercut honest competitors. This should serve as a warning to other directors who may feel tempted to break the law.’

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