Waste company boss jailed for VAT fraud
A Manchester waste management boss has been jailed for stealing more than £250,000 in VAT repayments.
Chaudhry Akbar, 50, of Fairfields Road, Droylsden, used his two waste management businesses to fraudulently claim £253,426 in VAT repayments.
Akbar submitted 36 bogus invoices between June 2013 and November 2015 while director of Thermal Power Ltd and Hyder Engineering (UK) Ltd. He forged paperwork, making up business purchases for heavy machinery and goods.
HMRC investigators found Akbar passed the stolen money through numerous bank accounts in an attempt to hide the cash.
Tim Atkins, from the HMRC Fraud Investigation Service, said: “This was a sustained attempt to steal taxpayers’ money and Akbar was shameless in his greed.
“He told lie after lie to line his own pockets and then tried to launder the cash so it couldn’t be traced back to him.
“VAT fraud steals money from vital public services such as schools and hospitals – this money is equivalent to the wages of ten newly qualified paramedics.”
Akbar’s two companies, which provided engineering and waste management services, were liquidated in August 2016.
Akbar, of Fairfields Road, Droylsden, Manchester, pleaded guilty to three counts of VAT fraud and money laundering at Manchester Crown Court on 9 January 2018.
He was sentenced to 18 months at the same court on 21 January 2019.
