Principal trustee of a charity has been sentenced after investigation by the HM Revenue and Customs for attempting to steal over £37,000 in false claims for Gift Aid tax relief. Zunaid Abubaker, 31, submitted four Gift Aid declarations for £149,678 worth of donations to a charity called 'Help Africa' which claimed to carry out charitable work in Malawi and other African countries, and accounted for repayments of £37,419.
When HMRC discovered the donations were faked and the money from the repayments stolen by Patel. Sandra Smith, Assistant Director, Fraud Investigation Service, HMRC, said, “This was a despicable crime designed purely to steal from taxpayers, while pretending to support vulnerable people and communities overseas. Patel thought he could abuse the Gift Aid system to enhance his own lifestyles without getting caught, but when it comes to uncovering fraud HMRC investigators are experts. Patel will now pay the price for his criminal actions.” Judge Waldron QC said that Patel had a “high degree of responsibility and therefore culpability as a trustee of the charity” and that “using a charity for personal gain is repugnant” adding that Patel had “avoided prison by a whisker.”
A National Health Worker, Patel was jailed for eight months, suspended for two years, received a supervision order for two years and a 200-hour unpaid community work order by Preston Crown Court.
