Dawn Primarolo fiddles whilst the Treasury is looted

Carousel Fraud is massive. Criminals are taking over £400 Mn each month from the Treasury by fraudulent claims - Lord Patel has regularly posted on cases which appear before the courts. In December in the Pre Budget Statement the updated figures for MITC fraud were promised but did not appear (Footnote). This week the Liberal Democrats sought better and further particulars about the criminal elements unvolved the scale of theft and of the efforts to stop this fraud.

In answer to questions about Carousel Fraud by Simon Hughes, gorgeous, pouting, clever, highly educated Dawn Primarolo ( Hansard 18th January Col. 1338W ) did her best not to be helpful. She said approximately 1,000 extra staff were allocated to HM Revenue and Customs as part of the overall VAT Compliance Strategy (VCS) in 2002-03 (5/4 years ago) which included VAT Missing Trade Intra-Community Fraud (MTIC = Carousel Fraud) as one of its priorities.

A total of 1,500 staff are now engaged in countering MTIC fraud across the Department following an additional redeployment of 700 compliance staff since Budget 2006 - (an update was expected by Gordie in the December Budget Statement but nothing was said.)

Simon Hughes also asked that for the last 12 months, how many
1, companies were investigated
2, prosecutions for carousel fraud were started
3, prosecutions for carousel fraud were completed

Dr Vincent Cable asked for each of the last 5 years for which records were available ;

1. How many prosecutions were there for carousel fraud
2. How many of the defendants in cases of carousel fraud were known to be part of organised crime gangs

To which the delightful hard working mum Dawn 52, (pic with friend) replied : "Details of the investigations and prosecutions conducted each year by HM Revenue and Customs are published in the departmental annual report and, prior to the creation of HM Revenue and Customs, was published each year in the annual reports of both the Inland Revenue and HM Customs and Excise. Where the specific information requested is not published, it is not collated in that format" - ie who the gangsters, para militaries are.

On the same day the Asset Recovery Agency acting under the Proceeds of Crime Act in a High Court Action served Property Freezing Orders (PFOs) on individuals and companies connected with and /or controlled by Paul Dermot Craven and Brian Pepper as they held assets which were obtained through the proceeds of unlawful conduct, including money laundering, tax evasion, false accounting, mortgage fraud and benefit fraud.

In this case, which is said to be connected to well known Republicans in Northern Ireland have frozen 77 further properties around Greater Manchester , now making a total of 92 properties valued at £13m which have been seized and investigations continue. The equity value is however much lower (presumably because the properties are mortgaged) and is about £4.7Mn.

"There are people in groups across society who are not engaged in further paramilitary activity - but will engage in organised crime because it funds their lifestyle," says Northern Ireland security minister Paul Goggins. In 2005-6 in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, ARA managed to convert £4.1m in assets into hard, recovered cash. On 11th January 2007, the Home Office laid a Written Ministerial Statement before Parliament setting out Government proposals to merge the Assets Recovery Agency (ARA) with the Serious Organised Crime Agency (SOCA) from next year it will disappear as the ARA and be absorbed into the Serious Organised Crime Agency early in 2008.

The Orders name ; Dermot Craven Developments Ltd, Craven House, Britannia Road, Sale,
Manchester and company directors Brian Pepper of Bridgewater Street, Sale,
Manchester and Dawn Craven;
* Avenue Holdings Ltd, Craven House, Britannia Road, Sale, Manchester, and
company directors Paul Dermot Craven of South Downs Road, Hale, Altrincham,
Cheshire, Brian Pepper and Gerald Joseph Nightingale;
* DC&BP (2004) Ltd, Craven House, Britannia Road, Sale, Manchester, and
company directors Dermot Craven and Brian Pepper.

The Agency has not alleged any criminal conduct by Dawn Craven or Gerald Joseph
Nightingale but has frozen property held by them, or by companies of which they
are directors, because it alleges that the property held is the proceeds of crime.

One is left with the smell that lots of very worthy hard working people are working very hard ... and ...er.. not getting very far ... and Dawn doesn't really want anyone to see how little they have acheived so far. Anyway the ARA will disappear next year so comparisons cannot be made blah. blah..... making itn look like the criminals have got away with approaching £5Bn a year for the last 3 years AT LEAST.

Footnote
"The correct figures will be available in the PBR, as they are every year following the application of the strategy for reducing MTIC fraud."