Carousel fraud duo receive extra 20 years in jail
Syed Ahmed and Shakeel Ahmad, both currently serving prison sentences of seven years for "missing trader" VAT fraud, both receive an additional 10 years for failing to pay back £184.6m
Two men who failed to pay a record £184.6m in the largest ever confiscation
order won by the taxman received extended jail terms of ten years each.
Syed Ahmed and Shakeel Ahmad, both currently serving prison sentences of
seven years for “missing trader” VAT fraud, received the additional sentences
for failing to abide by a court order issued in July 2010.
The pair were part of a 21-strong criminal gang which bought luxury houses in
London, Buckinghamshire and Dubai collectively worth £88.5m and high performance
sports cars after “stealing” £37.5m through the fraud, the taxman said.
Richard Meadows, assistant director of criminal investigation for HM Revenue
& Customs said:
“This will send the strongest message yet to criminals that they cannot hide,
even in prison, from our actions to reclaim their criminal profits.
“We are determined that this money will be restored to the nation’s finances
in what is the largest confiscation order ever secured in the UK. Their prison
sentences now total 34 years and they will still have to re-pay the outstanding
confiscation order.”
Further reading:
Taxman
eyes £184.6m haul from carousel fraud victory