The owners of Bambudda and TAO Asian Street Food were told they were not “fit and proper people” to own the businesses and were accused of people trafficking. Durham Constabulary and the Home Office raised serious concerns over the management and treatment of staff at a Darlington Borough Council licensing hearing on Tuesday. Immigration officers visited the two Asian restaurants on July 3 and made several arrests after discovering six people working illegally across the two sites.
Benjamin Wu, owner of Bambudda and TAO, was arrested after officers found people, including a mother and toddler, living in poor conditions above the TAO restaurant on Blackwellgate. Bambudda, on Gladstone Street, Darlington. (Image: The Northern Echo) Mr Wu, and his business partner Bich Thuy Nguyen (also known as Lucy), said they were not responsible for employing kitchen staff at Bambudda, did not know some of the staff, and were in the process of selling the business.
However, the Home Office argued: “It seems impossible for the licence holder not to know the workers, given they were working at his business and living in the flats above his other business.” Durham police said Mr Wu was “obstructive” towards officers during the raids but he insisted, “I co-operated fully and complied with the requests. I felt the situation was discriminatory towards me.
” He added: “We have revitalised spaces that were previously vacant, boosted the local economy, created jobs, served the commun.
