Following Over 6 Weeks Trial, Company Director Represented by Henry Hughes and James Onalaja, Unanimously Acquitted of Allegedly Cheating the Revenue, Valued at Nearly One Million Pounds

Henry Hughes leading  James Onalaja acted for AA, the lead defendant who was tried alongside his business partner and co-owner of a luxury concierge and travel agency and a member of their staff, with a conspiracy to cheat His Majesty’s Revenue and Customs (HMRC). This allegedly involved a protracted scheme of fraudulently making VAT reclaims purportedly on behalf of foreign high-end individuals and corporate clients following their business trips to the UK. The alleged fraudulent reclaims were valued at nearly £1 million and said to have been made without the authority of the said clients, and/or for non-existent business trips and expenses. All three defendants further faced allegations of converting and possessing criminal property, said to be the proceeds of the alleged offence of cheating HMRC.

The matter required the detailed analysis of thousands of pages of business transaction documentation, digital downloads and communications data, forensic analysis of various bank accounts and tracing the movements of the monies, including internationally, in order to challenge the prosecution’s continuously shifting case against the defendants.

The trial involved the skilful navigation of an array of potential cutthroat defences and arguments, extensive legal arguments on the: completeness of disclosure, admissibility of evidence; fairness of the Crown’s amendment of the indictment mid-trial from a count of conspiracy to cheat HMRC to the substantive offence of cheating HMRC, and the forensic cross-examination of HMRC officers, corporate officers and a co-defendant.

After over 6 weeks of evidence, legal arguments and closing submission on behalf of AA, the jury took under 5 hours to unanimously acquit all three defendants of the alleged offences.

Henry Hughes and James Onalaja were both instructed to represent the lead defendant (AA) by Clint Ambrose of Cambrose Solicitors.