A church, ’sham weddings’ and a £319,000 grant

A church is at the centre of a scandal after it was alleged that bogus marriages have been conducted there for more than a decade.

Police believe hundreds of sham weddings have been performed since 1993 at the Celestial Church of Christ, a Grade II-listed building in Islington’s Cloudesley Square.

The church has been granted £319,000 of public money from the Heritage Lottery Fund for repairs. But the clergyman who applied for the grant, Adeniran Magbagbeola, is suspected of conducting many of the alleged sham marriages.

Meanwhile, Mohammed Agha, 27, who blew the whistle on the alleged racket, is facing jail. He paid £5,700 for a bogus bride, fearing deportation when his visa ran out. He met his “wife-to-be”, British citizen Itrat Fathma, for the first time on the steps of Brent Register Office.

It is alleged Agha went to police in revenge when the man suspected of being the scam’s “Mr Big”, Paul Arora, failed to sort out paperwork to validate the marriage.

At Brent magistrates’ court last week, Agha, of Wembley, admitted perjury in relation to his wedding. He was remanded in custody, warned he could face up to seven years in jail and is due to be sentenced on 31 August. He also faces deportation. Arora, alleged to have “sold” brides for up to £8,000, is missing.

Outside court, Detective Sergeant Tracey Miller, of the Met’s serious crime directorate, said of Arora: “We know he has arranged at least 100 bogus marriages in London register offices.”

Nigerian-born Magbagbeola is a senior figure in the Celestial Church of Christ, which originated in west Africa. He applied for Lottery funding to repair the roof and stonework of the Islington church and was awarded £319,000, but is understood to have raised a further £180,000 from his congregation.

Repairs have begun but the Heritage Lottery Fund said the money would be paid directly to the builders, not to Magbagbeola, who lives with his wife and four children in Enfield. He was not available for comment. Senior evangelist Wole Famakinwa said the diocese had “disassociated” itself from Magbagbeola, adding: “He is not one of our evangelists.”

Magistrates heard that when Agha and Fathma first went to the register office, Fathma told the Pakistani student: “This is my date of birth, father’s name and occupation - remember them.”

Arora was allegedly supposedto take care of the paperwork when Agha applied to the Home Office for leave to remain in Britain, but the application was rejected because of lack of proof of Fathma’s identity.

Agha and Magbagbeola were among five people arrested after police raided the church last week. Magbagbeola has not been charged. The other three were bailed to appear in court later this year.

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