Judge who had affair with cleaner off work on full pay

Published on Monday 1 June 2009 22:06

AN IMMIGRATION judge who had an affair with his Brazilian cleaner has been paid nearly £300,000 while off work, it has emerged.

Mohammed Ilyas Khan has been off sick for a year on full pay despite a critical report into his conduct.

Last year, England's most senior judge said the 63-year-old showed "poor judgment" by giving a job to illegal immigrant Roselane Driza without checking her right to work.

Ms Driza was accused of stealing sex tapes of Judge Khan and another judge and using them to blackmail the pair.

It emerged during her trial in 2006 that he sent her text messages calling her "chilli hot stuff".

When the disciplinary report was published it was said no further action would be taken against Judge Khan because he was unwell.

But he has not retired on grounds of ill-health or been put on sick pay, and has collected his full salary of 115,155.

While the 19-month inquiry was carried out, he was reportedly paid a further 170,000.

That takes his total pay for the past two-and-a-half years to more than 280,000.

A Ministry of Justice spokesman said the case was being "urgently reviewed".

A spokesman said: "Judge Khan has remained on full salary since sick leave began in May 2008 and we are now looking at this case."

Ms Driza was jailed for 33 months, but freed on appeal. The CPS decided not to order a retrial on the grounds that the judges were too ill to give evidence against her.