A Hounslow businessman, who was jailed for six years after carrying out a massive tax fraud to fund his luxurious lifestyle, has been ordered to pay back £1.7m to the authorities.
Mazhar Hayat Raja, formerly a respected community leader, ran an empire of companies supplying hundreds of workers to industries around Heathrow and Gatwick.
But instead of handing over £3m worth of tax and national insurance collected from workers’ pay, he collapsed the firms and pocketed the money himself.
His 10-year scam led to him being jailed at Southwark Crown Court in April last year.
On April 7, Raja, formerly of Hounslow Road, Hanworth, was ordered to re-pay £1.7m to the public purse before October 5.
If he did not, he faced a further six years behind bars.
Robert Alder, assistant director of HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC), said: “Tackling fraud is one of our top priorities.
“We have a duty to stop money being diverted and stolen from the nation in what are often large-scale and ruthless attacks on the tax system.
“This case is a result of an in-depth investigation by dedicated officers who work tirelessly and diligently against those intent on stealing from the public purse.
“We are committed to bringing the criminals responsible for this form of crime to justice.
“We deny them from being able to retain and enjoy the proceeds of their crimes.“ HMRC has frozen the fraudster’s assets, including bank accounts, investments and properties in London, Scotland and Pakistan.
Raja had formed several firms supplying labour since the early 1990s.
However, only three of these were on record with the tax authorities.
He concealed the truth by telling a string of lies to Inland Revenue investigators and filling out false statements of his personal assets.
He also set up a number of bank accounts in the names of his wife and other relatives to hide the fortune that he had extracted from the companies he had set up.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here