Wolverhampton pharmacist caught in Covid-19 cash scam
A Wolverhampton pharmacist who tried to scam tens of thousands of pounds in Covid-19 relief grants has been found guilty of fraud.
Sundip Gill, who owns multiple pharmacies across the city, was exposed for faking quotations to secure funding meant to help struggling local businesses during the pandemic.
He traded from four separate business premises located in Wolverhampton, including chemist shops named Collateral, Your Pharmacy First, Low Hill Pharmacy, and Fallings Park
Pharmacy.
He is also a director of two pharmaceutical companies, Sync Chem and Collateral.
Gill’s elaborate scheme involved submitting fraudulent documents in a bid to claim up to £40,000 from the City of Wolverhampton Council’s Relight Programme.
He was caught when the council’s Counter Fraud Team spotted discrepancies in his applications, leading to a full investigation that exposed the false representations and fraudulent documents he had submitted.
Councillor Louise Miles, the council’s Cabinet Member for Resources said: “The Relight Programme was designed to support local business through and to recover from the Covid-19 pandemic, and not to be abused in the way that it was by Sundip Gill.
“The council has a policy of zero tolerance towards public sector fraud. It is far from a victimless crime, and its impacts ripple through our society, affecting every individual and the services we all rely on, and we will not hesitate to take action in instances like this.”
Despite denying the charges, Gill was found guilty on all counts and sentenced at Dudley Magistrates’ Court to 20 weeks imprisonment, suspended for 12 months, along with 200 hours of unpaid work.
He was also ordered to pay £3,000 in costs and a £128 victim surcharge.
His pharmaceutical companies weren’t spared either – Sync Chem was fined £12,000 plus £2,500 in costs and a £190 victim surcharge, while Collateral was fined £6,000 with the same additional costs.
During sentencing, District Judge Graham Wilkinson told Gill: “You have been convicted for being fully involved in fraud and your attempts to exploit a system to assist legitimate businesses.” He also noted that Gill had shown “no remorse.”
