Science Academy staff could face jail for defrauding government

THE founder of Kings Science Academy in Bradford and two members of staff have been found guilty of defrauding the government out of £150,000 following a six-week trial at Leeds Crown Court.

Sajid Raza, 43, Shabana Hussain, 40, and Daud Khan, 44, have been told they could face jail for making payments from Department for Education grants into their own bank accounts, BBC news reported.

The grants were given to set up the free flagship school in 2011, which opened in 2012.

All three were granted bail and will be sentenced in September.

Judge Christopher Batty said he was “very much” considering custody in each of the cases.

Peter Mann from the Crown Prosecution Service said: “Far from being a model school, Raza [founder and principal] treated the Academy like a family business employing his relatives there and, for at least the first 12 months, operating with no proper governance.

“His co-defendants were also drawn into this criminality. Hussain, Raza’s sister, received unlawful payments, and Khan helped to falsify documentation.”

“The defendants treated public money as their own, and when challenged, fabricated documents to cover their tracks.”