News & Articles

Sheriff officers have served Rangers Football Club with papers over a tax dispute, it has been reported. The Glasgow club was visited by officers over a dispute with Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs (HMRC) over a fine of around £1.4 million. Despite the legal dispute, the club has agreed to pay its tax bill of £2.8 million. The club has had discussions with HMRC over the bill - the amount of which was disclosed ahead of the recent takeover. A spokesman for the club suggested that an outline agreement had been reached with the taxman. He added that the club had been in discussion with HMRC over a tax liability which came to light during "due diligence" ahead of the recent takeover. A HMRC spokesman declined to comment on the situation. Copyright Press Association 2011

A judge has ordered the director of Payless Cash and Carry, one of the main alcohol and tobacco suppliers to convenience stores in the UK, to repay approximately £4 million after being found guilty of VAT fraud. Madhusudan Patel was found to have fraudulently claimed nearly £4 million in VAT on liquor purchases which did not take place as claimed, or at all, according to the court. Justice Mann rejected Mr Patel's claims that the trades were all legitimate and had taken place, adding that his evidence was "often very unconvincing" and that he was "not a reliable witness". He ruled: "Payless Cash and Carry submitted VAT returns which contained claims for input tax which were not justified under the legal regulations because those trades did not take place as claimed." Moon Beever's Frances Coulson, who helped prosecute, said: "The ruling justifies HM Revenue and Custom's use of provisional liquidation and liquidators to tackle fraud." Copyright Press Association 2011

A nurse had been jailed for 21 months after being found guilty of defrauding the NHS of nearly £40,000. Gilbertha Mutyoza, of Andrewsfield, Welwyn Garden City, was investigated by NHS Project after an anonymous tip-off was received by the NHS fraud and corruption reporting line. The 47-year-old was found to have fraudulently obtained NHS-funded training and bursaries totalling £38,931.50 during her three-year nursing diploma at the University of Hertfordshire. She used fake documents including visas to obtain her student bursary of £20,750 and to cover the cost of her course fees, which totalled more than £18,000. Ms Mutyoza applied to the university after falsely stating on a declaration signed before solicitors that she had indefinite leave to remain in the UK. Copyright Press Association 2011

A man from Norfolk has been convicted of four counts of fraud after pretending to be a qualified aircraft engineer. Mohammed Balluza, 54, of Mill Road, Briston, used forged Civil Aviation Authority documents to secure well paid jobs overseas in the aviation maintenance industry. Using the fake, yet convincing certificates, Balluza was able to service, maintain and certify release-for-service documents for heavy passenger jet airliners. However, Balluza's deception was rumbled when a Sussex-based specialist aviation recruitment agency received his application for a job and became suspicious about his documents. Balluza was sentenced to 22 months for each count of fraud at Brighton Crown Court last September. Last week at Hove Crown Court, Balluza was ordered to release £130,000 from assets held in his and his wife's name following an inquiry under the Proceeds of Crime Act by police financial investigators. If you want legal advice click the link. Copyright Press Association 2011

A Metropolitan Police officer's former wife has been given six years in prison over her part in a £10 million mortgage scam. Mary-Jane Rathie, a senior surveyor, had overvalued properties in exclusive parts of London in exchange for gifts of cars and cash, totalling £1 million. At the Old Bailey, Judge Timothy Pontius described the situation where someone with 43-year-old Rathie's work record was in the dock as tragic. Rathie, of Waltham Cross, Hertfordshire, was convicted of five counts of fraud between May 2007 and June 2009, as well as one count of concealing criminal property. Her then-husband, 47-year-old David Rathie, of Cheshunt, Herts, who is with the central London traffic unit, was found not guilty over a charge of concealing criminal property. Copyright Press Association 2011

A substantial rise in cases of recorded fraud was seen in the opening six months of the year, new figures show. According to CIFAS, the UK's fraud prevention service, 111,504 cases of confirmed fraud occurred during this time, with identity theft accounting for nearly half of these. Compared with the final six months of 2010, 10% more fraud cases were witnessed. Bank account misuses made up 24% of confirmed frauds, with the number at its highest since 2009. Of these cases, one in 10 involved fraudsters illegally accessing the bank accounts of other people. CIFAS indicated that the greatest fraud risk involves accounts linked to plastic cards. A number of fraudulent bank account cases also involved the use of false or altered cheques. These accounted for over half of bank account fraud cases, but how many instances go under the radar or don't end up in the county courts or criminal law system ?. Copyright Press Association 2011

The Prime Minister's former head of communications, Andy Coulson, never completed the Government's highest level of security checks, it has been revealed. The former News of the World editor, who is at the heart of the phone hacking scandal that has engulfed Fleet Street and Westminster, was only part way through Developed Vetting (DV), which means he would not have been able to access some top secret papers or attend certain high profile meetings. Former Number 10 communications chiefs Alastair Campbell and Michael Ellam, who worked for Tony Blair and Gordon Brown respectively, went through the process and David Cameron's current head of communications Craig Oliver is said to be going through it at the moment. The revelation was disclosed by Cabinet Secretary Sir Gus O'Donnell in response to a letter from Labour frontbencher Ivan Lewis. Sir Gus said that DV is only necessary for people who require regular access to the highest classification material. He said it is a drawn out process, which requires many resources and should consequently be used only when there is a clear business requirement for doing so. Copyright Press Association 2011

A Guildford hospital is to carry out a full review of notes made by one of its consultant paediatricians, a charity has said. The Royal Surrey County Hospital is to look at notes made by epilepsy specialist Dr Nic Driver over the last nine years, according to the Epilepsy Society. It is thought the review is being carried out after concerns from a fellow healthcare professional. Dr Driver has been excluded from seeing patients while the review is carried out, the charity said. A spokeswoman for the Epilepsy Society said it could not comment further on the case as it was not "wholly informed of the facts". The General Medical Council has been made aware of the review but will not be carrying it out, the charity said. Often these type of potential medical negligence claims require legal aid funding and are only uncovered due to whistleblowing. Copyright Press Association 2011

A Lloyds TSB financial adviser has been jailed for stealing almost £140,000 from customers and a school where he was a governor. Gloucester Crown Court heard that Andrew Bartlett, 48, "borrowed" £138,500 to fund a venture in property development. The five-year scam came to light following an internal bank investigation of the financial affairs of one of Bartlett's clients. The father-of-four, who was sent to prison for 18 months, had originally told police the theft had involved only the one client, before it was discovered he had been taking money from two customers and a secondary school. The court was told that Bartlett had been allowed control over the funds he managed for the clients, allowing him the means to carry out the deception. Copyright Press Association 2011

An online gambling addict has been jailed after using his role within a bank to break the law and take money from the accounts of numerous elderly customers. James Finnigan, 42, from Twickenham in Surrey, was given a four-year jail term after pleading guilty to 13 counts of fraud at the Old Bailey. In total, these activities accounted for 43 transactions. Over a five-year period, Finnigan stole £616,000 which he then used to gamble at his home by playing online. The accounts of bank customers in their 80s and people who were deceased were targeted by Finnigan, who was then Twickenham Barclays Bank financial planning manager, with funds taken from 12 accounts. He had previously racked up credit card debts of £50,000 because of his gambling habits. The amounts being taken from people's accounts by Finnigan reached £252,000, after initially starting at £9,000. Copyright Press Association 2011