Britain is still hosting a terrorist crime lord despite him losing a "final" appeal against deportation 15 months ago. Gangster Maksim Cela, 60, was convicted of masterminding the murder of an anti-mob police officer in his homeland in 2000 and for a plot to blow up an Albanian football stadium.
Cela's criminal history and entry to the UK
Cela served 23 years for murder and walked free in December 2022 before jetting off to Heathrow Airport and walking into the UK on a fake passport. Albanian Cela has been battling his deportation ever since and has claimed he can't be sent home because the elderly mother of the crime-fighting policeman he killed might seek revenge.
He later changed his tune and said he would be at risk of degrading treatment or torture. His ongoing legal battle has cost the British taxpayer tens of thousands in legal support.
Court ruling and anonymity order
Cela was unmasked by a 23-month-long campaign by The Sun newspaper which challenged an anonymity order he had bizarrely been granted by the courts to protect his human rights. However, at a hearing before Judge Jeremy Rintoul, Cela was branded a liar and his appeal against deportation was rejected.
Despite the ruling, it's been revealed Cela is still at large in the UK and is believed to reside in Birmingham.
Home Office response
The Home Office had previously said Cela's removal was imminent but said this week they were "not prepared to give a running commentary" on why he remains in Britain.
The Home Office said: "We will do everything in our power to deport this dangerous criminal. Nearly 10,000 foreign criminals have been removed since the last election."
