A MAN has been ordered to pay £600,000 under proceeds of crime legislation as a result of an unpaid tax case.
Goljar Singh, 44, reached an agreement with the Civil Recovery Unit (CRU) and HMRC to hand over the money, in one of the largest settlements in the unit’s history.
Singh was tracked by police after several of his bank accounts were flagged as having received large cash deposits from the same post office within weeks in March 2021.
By May of that year, officers had searched his home, finding several suitcases containing more than 3000 envelopes stuffed with cash and amounting to more than £690,000, of which Singh agreed £600,000 was recoverable.
Anne-Louise House, head of the CRU, said: “This case has been an excellent example of inter-agency working between CRU, HMRC and Police Scotland. The resolution is one of the largest cash sums recovered by the unit.
“The money recovered from this individual has been transferred to the Scottish Consolidated Fund which invests money to support communities across Scotland, through the Scottish Government’s CashBack for Communities Programme.
“The Civil Recovery Unit works with other law enforcement agencies to identify and recover the proceeds of crime.
“Settlements such as this contribute to the Serious Organised Crime Taskforce’s goal of reducing the harm caused by criminal activity.”
A Police Scotland spokesperosn said: “This is an outstanding result and underlines the value of working closely with our colleagues in the Civil Recovery Unit and HMRC.
“These investigations can be challenging and complex but with specialist teams working together, we can achieve exceptional outcomes.
“Police Scotland’s Serious and Organised Crime Financial Investigation Unit is committed to targeting individuals and companies who profit from illicit activities. We will continue to work alongside all our partners to deter, disrupt and detect those involved in crime and seek to recover any funds derived from it.”
