£250 Million pounds stolen from UK Treasury
The stunning scale of theft from the Treasury by VAT fraud was underlined in July 2003, when 350 officers raided 93 premises across the UK and Spain, and made 42 arrests.
Today Customs officers made 10 arrests nationwide (In addition, European arrest warrants have been issued in France and Spain against four individuals. ) after 5 years investigating a suspected £250 million VAT missing trader fraud.
More than 500,0000 documents , 361 hard drives have been systematically examined, along with the hard drives of 391 computers
Those arrested are alleged to be the operators a sophisticated network of companies that 'carouselled' large quantities of mobile phones, buying them VAT-free from the continent to supply to businesses in the UK, and then defaulting without paying the VAT due.Those arrested are
* Curtis Laurent (dob 30.9.58) 56 Ty Draw Rd, Roath Park, Cardiff, CF23 5HD.
* Marcus Hughes (8.9.70) HMP Dovegate, Uttoxeter, ST14 8XR.
* Keith Bennett (4.8.61) Beechwood House, 14 Brownswood Rd, Beaconsfield,
HP9 2NU.
* Hashib Apabhai (20.4.60) 1 The Gatehouse, Gatehouse Lane, Bedworth, CV12 8UE.
* Mohammed Novsarka (15.3.61) 216a Coventry Rd, Warwickshire, CV7 9BH.
* Peter Ebbrell (13.5.51) 3 Abberton Way, Coventry, CV4 7HF.
* Keith Ponder (20.11.50) Furzefield House, 3 Furzefield Road, Beaconsfield,
HP9 1PQ.
* Amir Naghibossadat (6.9.70) Flat 43 Clarendon Court, 33 Maida Vale, London
W9 1AJ.
* Sampson Goldstone (17.4.75) 2 West Lynn, Devisdale Rd, Bowdon, Cheshire.
Apabhai, Novsarka and Goldstone have been charged with money
laundering offences.
Goldstone was arrested at Heathrow Airport yesterday evening, Monday 5 February 2007 and subsequently charged. He has property and spends a lot of time in Monaco.
A 10th man and a 37 year-old woman were arrested late this afternoon
These arrests relate to frauds allegedly perpetrated up to July 2003 - best estimates are that it continues at the rate of £400MN a month, every month throughout 2006 AT LEAST. Recovery of thewse vast amounts of cash is negligible - it is used further to fund drugs, human trafficking, fraud, terrorism, gun running, diamond and tobacco smuggling.Hashib Apabhai has cropped up trading as Kings Chambers from his luxury house on a gated estate as a lawyer but is unknown to Law Society and the Bar Council. The DTI tried to close down 2 property companies he was involved with Sterling Mansion (UK) and SMI Overseas who had employees who then went on to work for Properties of Distinction and Turningpoint who in turn were connected to CM2 (commenced trading Jan 2003) , all trading from the same address in Peterborough which fleeced "investors" in 2003.
Curtis Laurent was disqualified as a Director for 11 years from 26/05/2006 relating to his activities as a Director of Sava Ltd Co No 04204698 UNIT 12 MAESGLAS INDUSTRIAL ESTATE NEWPORT who closed with a Creditors Voluntary Liquidation of £6,273,791.00.It appears Mr Laurent from 20/1/04 to 3/4/04 ( that's 6 fucking weeks !) , allowed Sava Ltd.,to Purchase goods worth, at least, £23,331,538, with no VAT payable, from suppliers based in Portugal and Luxembourg . Selling these goods for the sum of £27,585,342 including VAT of at least £4,108,454, to customers in the UK. Making payments of, at least, £7,543,800 to parties other than the supplier of Sava, Mr Laurent disregarded the suspicious circumstances surrounding a number of transactions involving the supply of mobile telephones and computer components, which should have alerted him to the risk that the VAT payable to HM Revenue & Customs & Excise in respect of the supplies would go unpaid. Which resulted in HM Revenue & Customs claiming the amount of £6,170,964 in respect of unpaid VAT and charges.
£6.1 Mn in 6 weeks. Cash in the Bank from HMG.
After arrest and interview Carter claimed the artificial flowers came from a man in Dubai and that he was planning to sell the flowers at local markets. He denied all knowledge of the tobacco goods.