They travelled thousands of miles to Jersey in search of stable work and a better future.
They arrived with official permits, job offers and the promise of opportunity in the island’s hospitality sector.
Instead, five Rwandan nationals found themselves living in their employer’s property, working second jobs they were never authorised to take, and, in some cases, chasing wages they say they were owed.
This is the story of how a senior Jersey politician and a prominent hotel director became embroiled in a case that exposed the vulnerability of migrant workers.
The scheme
Deputy Philip Ozouf was today sentenced in the Royal Court to 120 hours’ community service after admitting five breaches of immigration law.
His co-accused, Savoy Hotel director Roberto Lora, was fined £5,000 after pleading guilty to assisting one worker to breach her visa by allowing her to work at his home.
Ozouf was also ordered to pay £5,000 towards prosecution costs.
The Royal Court heard that Ozouf committed the offences over an 18-month period – including while holding ministerial office.
Prosecutors said he deliberately circumvented immigration rules after authorities refused to allow him to recruit overseas workers for his laundry business, My Eco Laundry.
Instead, workers were brought to Jersey on hospitality work permits linked to the Savoy Hotel but then carried out work at his business and home.
“Ozouf portrayed himself as a philanthropist”
Crown Advocate William Redgrave told the court Ozouf had “subverted the system”.
“Ozouf portrayed himself as a philanthropist, helping people from a poor African country to come and get work,” he told the court.
“However, there was a commercial advantage for him: Rwandans were content to work for lower wages than local people.
“They were paid between £10.50 and £11 per hour by the Savoy, and between £11 and £12.50 for their work at the launderette.
“Ozouf kept them busy and was late in paying them. They were grateful for the work, but it could be said that in this way he exploited them.”
While the crown sought a ten-month prison sentence, the court instead imposed community service.
Ozouf’s advocate described him as “disorganised” rather than dishonest, telling the court his client’s “intentions were pure” and that he had long sought to create employment opportunities for Rwandan nationals.
But behind the legal arguments lies the experience of five workers whose lives were shaped by the arrangement.
Claudine*
For Claudine, Jersey began with hope. She first applied to visit the island on a visitor visa, claiming that she wanted to reconnect with a friend and explore opportunities.
Ozouf sponsored her application, and offered to pay £5,000 for her trip and accommodation at his home.
Immigration officials refused the application, concluding Claudine was intending to work rather than visit.
During a phone call with officials, Ozouf described himself as “philanthropic and proud” but was unable to provide clear details about her employment plans.
He told Ozouf also declared on Claudine’s visa application form that “his circumstances should suffice for this to be issued”, which the prosecution described as an attempt “to use his political position in Jersey to circumvent the immigration requirements”.
Soon after, a new route was found. A work permit was successfully obtained through the Savoy Hotel for Claudine to work as a laundry assistant.
She arrived in Jersey in June 2022 – but within weeks she was working primarily in Ozouf’s laundry business rather than the hotel which had sponsored her visa.
Eventually she became the business’s only full-time employee, effectively left to run the operation until her permit expired.
Throughout her time on the island, Claudine was paid her main salary through the hotel, with overtime paid separately by Ozouf.
She received more than £6,400 in additional payments for this work before resigning in March 2023.
Josiane*
Josiane arrived in Jersey in April 2022, earlier than the others, with a work permit to work as a room attendant at the Savoy hotel.
But soon after arriving, she was asked to work additional hours at Ozouf’s laundry – typically two to three hours after her hotel shifts, and entire days when she was off duty.
She had no contract for this work.
While living in Ozouf’s annex, her duties extended beyond employment.
Messages showed she was asked to iron clothes, clean bathrooms, paint the house and organise belongings. She was told she would be paid, but payments were delayed.
On 10 July 2022, Ozouf sent a message to her stating : “I just went upstairs and saw the ironing is not done – is there a problem? Thanks, Philip.
“Are you going to do the ironing?”
Another message on 18 July 2022 from Ozouf read: “I would appreciate it very much if you could do a cleanup of the main house bathroom and all the laundry things because they’re all dusty.”
By late 2022, Josiane had begun keeping detailed records of her hours and the money she was owed. When she repeatedly asked for payment, messages went unanswered.
It was only after she threatened legal action on Christmas Eve 2022 that Ozouf transferred £2,500 – though the evidence shows this did not cover everything she was owed.
Josiane’s experience also formed the basis of the charge against Lora, who admitted she worked at his home weekly.
Sandrine*
Sandrine’s experience followed a similar pattern.
Like Claudine, her initial visitor visa application – sponsored by Ozouf – was refused because officials believed she intended to work.
She later obtained a work permit through the Savoy and arrived in August 2022, with Ozouf paying for her travel.
Within hours of arriving, Sandrine slipped and broke her wrist.
Despite the injury leaving her unable to work at the hotel, she began working full-time at the launderette just three days later – often for shifts lasting up to ten hours.
Once she was able to return to hotel work, she continued working at the laundry for several hours after each shift.
Sandrine ultimately received just over £5,000 for her laundry work.
Aline*
Aline arrived in Jersey independently to work at a guesthouse.
Her involvement began not through formal recruitment, but through friendships with the other Rwandan workers living at Ozouf’s property.
After asking if she could work at the laundry, Ozouf agreed. Aline would complete her hospitality shift before working evenings at the launderette, often until 10pm.
She received around £1,425 for the work before returning to Rwanda later that year.
Claude*
Claude arrived in July 2022 to work in the Savoy’s food and beverage department.
His additional restaurant job fell within visa rules.
But when the hotel temporarily closed in January 2023, he spent extended periods working at Ozouf’s laundry – typically nine to ten hours a day.
He received £2,550 for this work.
“Technically they work for you illegally”
All five workers – except Aline — lived in an annex at Ozouf’s home, paying between £500 and £600 per month in rent, which was deducted from their wages by the Savoy and transferred to Ozouf.
Concerns about their treatment surfaced as early as September 2022.
Jimy Mugabo, who ran a recruitment organisation established by Ozouf, warned that the workers were confused about contracts, wages and rent.
In a message to Ozouf in September 2022, Mr Mugabo wrote: “Technically they work for you illegally with no contract, no job description, no guidance on their work scope.
“They don’t know when and how they get paid, how much they should pay for rent and other expenses.
“They are just confused and exhausted to be treated like children who are taken to a supermarket for food, they’d love to manage their lives just like any other grown human beings.”
Despite those warnings, prosecutors say the arrangements continued.
Ozouf later told investigators his aim was to provide beneficial work for Rwandan nationals and help keep a local business running.
He declined to answer questions beyond a prepared statement.
Lora, meanwhile, said he believed additional work was permitted if it was similar to the worker’s primary role and claimed he was attempting to help another business.
He later said he felt “trapped” by the arrangement and took steps to move employees out of Ozouf’s property.
“A degree of exploitation”
During sentencing, Crown Advocate Redgrave said it was possible “there was a degree of exploitation”, noting that one worker was still waiting for payment.
But Ozouf’s defence strongly rejected that characterisation.
Advocate James Bell argued the offending sat at the lower end of criminal culpability and was closer to an employment breach than deliberate exploitation.
He said Ozouf had spent years visiting Rwanda and was motivated by a genuine desire to create employment opportunities.
Ozouf, the court heard, expressed “genuine remorse” and had suffered significant reputational damage.
“His political career, that he has devoted so much of his life to, is in tatters,” his advocate said.
The Royal Court heard there have been no comparable cases in Jersey or England and Wales.
Commissioner Alan Binnington presided over the sentencing, alongside Jurats Elizabeth Dulake and David Le Heuzé.
Follow Express for updates…