Kent duo funded lavish lifestyles by tax fraud

Two men from Kent who funded lavish lifestyles by tax fraud have been ordered to pay back more than £3.5 million within three months or go to jail.

Aquil Ahmed, 61, an accountant, and co-conspirator Victor Shearer, 44, a construction services company director, both from Kent, were jailed in October 2016.

They were part of a conspiracy that defrauded HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) of £6.9 million in VAT, Income Tax, National Insurance Contributions and Construction Industry Scheme (CIS) deductions through fraudulent payroll schemes.

Ahmed must repay £2.9 million within three months, or face a further five years in jail and still have to pay up. Shearer must pay back £646,000 within three months, or face a further three years in jail and still owe the money.

HMRC and the National Crime Agency (NCA) are aware of a threat of payroll scams operating in the UK, and remind businesses to ensure that they carry out ‘due diligence’ checks before appointing a payroll company to act on their behalf. Anyone who believes they have information, or may be a victim of payroll fraud can report it online at: www.gov.uk/topic/dealing-with-hmrc/tax-compliance or by calling 0800 788 887.