NHS trust money launderer has jail sentence extended after failing to repay proceeds of his crimes

A convicted money launderer who conned a Lincolnshire NHS trust out of over £1.2m has had his jail sentenced extended after failing to repay proceeds from his crimes to authorities.
Money.Money.
Money.

Imtiaz Khoda was convicted on his own admission to conspiracy to launder money when he pleaded guilty at Leicester Crown Court for offences of fraud in October 2016. He was sentenced in June 2017 to four years six months imprisonment and disqualified from acting as a company director for six years.

Khoda, 46, is a UK national who was living in the United Arab Emirates since 1997.

The police investigation, codenamed Operation Tarlac was launched in September 2011 following a report from the Lincolnshire Partnership NHS Foundation Trust of a fraud to the value of £1,280.814.11. The investigation rapidly grew and encompassed other similar offences across the UK against public bodies and other organisations. The investigation identified losses to the organisations in excess of £12 million.

Following the sentencing of 12 individuals for conspiracy to defraud and conspiracy to launder money as well as specific money laundering offences, investigators within Lincolnshire Police's Economic Crime Unit have pursued those convicted for confiscation of their criminal benefit under the Proceeds of Crime Act.

In April a confiscation order was made at Leicester Crown Court for £8,761,222.68. He was given three months to pay the calculated available amount of £4,024,809.38 and was sentenced to a term of 10 years imprisonment if he defaulted.

The £4,024,809.38 demanded included property identified as under Khoda's control as well as "tainted" gifts to the value of £1,217,496 made by Khoda to family and friends since the start of the criminal investigation and a further amount of £459,596 classed as hidden assets not revealed to the court.

In August Khoda applied to the Crown Court to have his time to pay the confiscation order extended. The application was rejected on the grounds he had not made all reasonable efforts to pay the order.

On September 5 at Birmingham Magistrates Court the confiscation order was sought to be enforced after only £212,217 had been paid; the court judged it as a willful refusal by Khoda to engage in the process.

Khoda had nine years and eight months added to his sentence for failing to meet his proceeds of crime obligations.

The amount still has to be paid plus interest which continues to accrue.

Neil Hollingsworth, Financial Investigator in the Economic Crime Unit at Lincolnshire Police, said: "We will continue to ensure the fraudsters convicted of this or any fraud do not benefit from their criminal activity.

"Fraud investigations are inherently long and complex to investigate and the Proceeds of Crime Act allows any benefit obtained from a criminal lifestyle to be recovered.