Catch up with the latest news.
Bankrupt goes to jail for fraudulent trading and forgery
A bankrupt who acted as a shadow director was sentenced to 14 months imprisonment at Hull Crown Court earlier this week. Stephen Joseph Beet pleaded guilty to the use of a prohibited name, acting in the management of a company whilst an undischarged bankrupt, fraudulent trading and forgery. An… Read more ...QC facing jail after fraud conviction
Following a nine-day trial, an English QC has been found guilty of a charge of cheating the public revenue between 1st June 1999 and 24th September 2011. "Rohan Pershad QC failed to pay VAT for a period of 12 years, despite charging his clients that VAT. As a result, he… Read more ...The cost of VAT fraud
The level of fraud in the UK may have dropped by a third over the past year, but according to a new report by accountants BDO LLP, the amount of tax fraud hardly fell at all. It now accounts for almost half (44%) of all fraud reported in the UK… Read more ...Overhaul of extradition laws
The Home Secretary, Theresa May, has tabled amendments to the Crime and Courts Bill that will change the law in relation to extradition in two ways, reports the Telegraph. If passed the amendments will: * Pass to the High Court the Home Secretary’s power to consider late representations, on the… Read more ...Court of Appeal ruling on criminal records
The Court of Appeal in England this week ruled that the automatic disclosure of all convictions and cautions on CRB checks, regardless of their relevance to the job in question, is disproportionate – and therefore incompatible with the right to private life under article 8 of the Human Rights Act… Read more ...Men sentenced for defrauding banks
Two businessmen were convicted last week of conspiring to defraud banks, principally Allied Irish Banks (AIB) and the Bank of Scotland, of millions of pounds and euros. Achilleas Michaelis Kallakis (44) and Alexander Martin Williams (44) were sentenced to seven years' and five years' imprisonment respectively and disqualified from acting… Read more ...Nine years for VAT fraud and money laundering
A Dundee man has been sentenced to nine years imprisonment, after being convicted of three charges of being knowingly involved in the fraudulent evasion of VAT and two charges of money laundering, occurring between 2002 and 2004. Shahid Ramzan was found guilty of profiting to a total of £20.5 million… Read more ...New safeguards for criminal justice?
The Scottish Government is consulting on new proposals for safeguards to the criminal justice system, after reviewing responses to the Carloway consultation. In 2011 Lord Carloway was asked to review a range of aspects of Scottish criminal law and practice, in the aftermath of the Cadder decision, which held that… Read more ...Asylum seekers face EU fingerprint changes
New rules that will give EU law enforcement authorities the right to access the Eurodac database to check asylum seekers’ fingerprints took a step forward this week. MEPs voted to allow the access, but only if greater protection is given to personal data. Eurodac stores the fingerprints of asylum seekers… Read more ...