TV star Laila Rouass’ ex ordered to repay £14m he swindled from taxpayers has debt written off in secret deal
Nasir Khan, 44, laundered huge amounts cheated by a gang that made false VAT claims for mobile phone imports and exports
A VAT cheat ordered to return £14million he swindled from taxpayers has had the debt written off in a secret deal because he’s too poor to pay.
Nasir Khan, 44, was jailed in 2011 for his part in a £250million scam that funded his international playboy lifestyle.
He laundered huge amounts cheated by a gang that made false VAT claims for mobile phone imports and exports.
A court heard the cash should have gone to hospitals or schools – but instead it was blown on fast cars and yachts.
Khan, the former partner of Holby City and Footballers’ Wives actress Laila Rouass, also bought luxury properties in Chelsea and Spain.
After being jailed he was told to repay £14million in a confiscation order by a judge at Southwark crown court.
Tax chiefs vowed to recover “as much as possible for the UK taxpayer”.
But it’s now been revealed that the Crown Prosecution Service has agreed to let him off the hook – because he is too poor to repay a single penny.
Khan was let off in a cloak-and-daggers deal agreed at two secret court hearings last year.
The first was at the High Court and the second at Southwark crown court.
Both hearings were held in private and neither were published on public court listings.
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It meant the press and public had no idea the hearings were being held.
Khan’s case was swept under the carpet after being given a Certificate of Inadequacy, which allow all or part of a criminal’s debt to be torn up because they can’t pay.
Some 16 of them were issued last year but Khan’s was the biggest write-off, according to the Evening Standard.
He was the only offender who failed to repay a single penny.
MPs have blasted the decision.
David Burrowes, a member of the Home Affairs Select Committee, said: “It is simply not good enough for HM Revenue and Customs to publicly parade the good news of a £14 million compensation order but privately bury the bad news of failing to recover any taxpayers’ money.
“Even council tax non-payers don’t get the comfort of a private hearing so why should multi-million-pound VAT fraudsters?”
The CPS said last night it was unable to provide further detail on Khan’s case because of data protection.
But a spokesman said: “It was handled in accordance with relevant legislation.
“Certificates of Inadequacy are issued by the High Court in a small number of cases where the sale of an individual’s assets does not meet the original valuation and the amount that can be realised by the Crown must be reassessed.
“We collected 20 per cent more from criminals in 2015/16 than the previous year and will continue to pursue them wherever possible.”