THE leader of the self-proclaimed Iranian government in exile has been jailed for arranging illegal immigration into the UK.

Arya Bina, also known as Ali Befroei, of Waltham Way, Chingford, arranged false identification and travel documents for his clients, travelling to mainland Europe to assist them on the final leg of their journey.

The 57-year-old is the exiled leader of the United Iranian Party, based in Connaught Road, Chingford, which is highly critical of the Iranian regime and campaigns for free elections in the country.

He fled to Cyprus following the Islamic Revolution in 1979, eventually settling in the UK in 1991.

Despite having no record of any paid employment, Bina and his 32-year-old wife Monir Asemani lived an affluent lifestyle, driving expensive cars and setting up a beauty salon.

The couple held at least 21 bank accounts, into which people aiming to reach the UK illegally from other European countries paid substantial sums of money.

It is estimated the pair earned about £500,000 between 2007 and 2011.

Bina was sentenced to nine years in prison at Kingston Crown Court today, while his wife was jailed for two-and-a-half years.

Speaking to the Guardian last year as the party celebrated its 14th anniversary, Bina said he was enjoying life in London.

He added: "I like England very much and it is my home now but of course I'd like to go back. But the main thing is I just want my country to be free.

"The people running Iran are mad – they've killed five people million and now they want to have an atomic bomb. It's very worrying. The people are very unhappy.

"If you want heroin or hashish you go into the street and it takes two minutes. But if you want bread who have to wait half an hour. What kind of Government ruling is that?"

Regional head of investigations at the Serious Organised Crime Agency (SOCA), Paul Jenkins, said: "Arya Bina made a career of breaking the immigration laws of the UK, funding the comfortable lifestyle he and his wife enjoyed by taking large amounts of money from migrants.

"SOCA and its partners are committed to protecting the public from those who facilitate organised immigration crime."