Seven Bradford people were involved in a conspiracy to break immigration laws by arranging sham marriages, a jury heard.

The fake weddings between Slovakian women and male Pakistanis were to allow foreign students to stay in the UK after their visas had run out, it was claimed at Leeds Crown Court yesterday.

Prosecutor Karma Melly told the court that citizens of certain European countries had the right to live and work in the UK and if they married someone from outside Europe they would have the same rights to remain in the country as their spouses.

Miss Melly said such a wedding was a “marriage of convenience” or a sham marriage.

She said: “This case is about Slovakian females and Pakistani nationals getting married to get round the immigration laws which restrict how long somebody can stay in the UK.”

On trial are Eva Facunova, 32, of Vivian Place, Little Horton, Bradford; Zlatica Holubova, 29; Lukas Murgos, 22, both of Brompton Road, East Bowling, Bradford; Livia Grundzova, 21, of Conway View, Harehills, Leeds, and Syed Gardezi, 21, of Lambton Terrace, Harehills, Leeds.

They have all pleaded not guilty to conspiracy to breach immigration laws between July 11, 2010, and March 29 this year by participating in sham marriages.

The jury was told that Maria Rakova, 22; Ivana Holubova, 23, both of Brompton Road, East Bowling; Farrukh Khan, 24; Muhammad Mughal, 32, both of Hartman Place, Toller Lane, Bradford, and Muhammad Usman, 24, of Lambton Terrace, Harehills, Leeds, have all pleaded guilty to the offence.

Miss Melly said a police investigation began as Rakova and Usman were getting married at Leeds Register Office on March 28.

She said Usman had entered the UK on a student visa which was due to expire on February 28 but he applied for a Certificate of Approval to marry Rakova. An appointment was made at the register office but the registrar became suspicious when the couple had difficulty answering questions about each other.

The immigration offices were alerted and police contacted. They arrested seven of the defendants before the wedding had been completed. They were the bride and groom, Rakova and Usman, Facunova, who was acting as an interpreter, and four guests, including Gardezi who was acting as best man and had two gold rings in his pocket. Mughal, Khan and Murgos were also guests.

Miss Melly said those attending as guests were assisting in giving the sham marriage credibility.

The prosecutor said Mughal, Gardezi and Khan were all Pakistanis who entered on student visas which were due to expire.

Mughal married Ivana Holubova on December 29 last year. Khan married her sister Zlatica Holubova on October 12, and Gardezi had applied to marry Grundzova but that was still being processed by the immigration authorities when he was arrested.

Miss Melly said the Asian men were well known to each other and were “involved in marriages between people who appeared to have little knowledge of each other against a background of their pending exit from the UK”.

She said a crib sheet was found at the Hartman Place address giving information about one of the brides.

A crib sheet about Mughal was found at the Brompton Road address and another relating to Usman was found on a pile of nappies.

Most of the defendants did not answer police questions but Facunova maintained she was a friend of Rakova and assisted as an interpreter as a favour to the bride.

The trial continues.