Following an eight week trial at Leeds Crown Court, Farleys partner Paul Schofield, head of the Fraud and Business Crime team, alongside Nick Johnson QC and Chloe Fordham from Exchange Chambers, secured the acquittal of a client in an alleged HMRC cheat worth over £9million.
Our client was found not guilty after the Jury took just three hours to reach a verdict which was unanimous. The co-accused in the case was convicted and later sentenced to nine years imprisonment.
This case, a large scale international VAT fraud, involved an elaborate scam involving false PPI data leads, with almost £60million being transferred between foreign bank accounts, some of which ended up in the UAE.
Paul commented:
This was a fantastic and well deserved result for our client. He maintained his innocence from day one of an investigation lasting four years, and he has now been fully vindicated. His defence was a real team effort, with the expertise and hard work of Nick and Chloe truly outstanding. I am really pleased for our client and his family.
Following the hearing, our client said: “Both Farleys and Exchange Chambers have been incredibly hardworking and supportive over the last four years. Their amazing attention to detail has ensured that justice was done and both myself and my family can now move forward. In particular Paul Schofield’s dedication and long working hours throughout this case secured this result. Without his contribution the result almost certainly would have been very different.”
