A Scottish businessman who hid cash in thousands of envelopes has been ordered to pay back £600,000 after the seizure of £1m from several bank accounts
Goljar Singh has agreed to repay £600,000 in a landmark settlement following a civil investigation. A further £1m had already been recovered from the bank accounts of businesses linked to Singh.
In March 2021, police discovered that several bank accounts connected to Singh had received large cash deposits through the same post office over several weeks.
Scottish police officers began enquiries at a time when the country was in Covid-19 lockdown.
In May, police carried out a search of Singh’s home and found several suitcases containing more than 3,000 envelopes filled with cash, amounting to more than £692,000.
Singh agreed that £600,000 was recoverable property. In addition, a further £1m was seized from the bank accounts of businesses linked to Singh.
Anne-Louise House, head of the Civil Recovery Unit (CRU), said: ‘This case has been an excellent example of interagency working between CRU, HMRC and Police Scotland. The resolution represents 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.’
Over £600,000 will be recovered under proceeds of crime legislation following an agreement with the CRU and HMRC.
The settlement is one of the highest ever sums of cash recovered in a single case by the unit, which is a specialist team of solicitors and financial investigators working on behalf of Scottish Ministers.
A spokesperson for Police Scotland said: ‘This is an outstanding result and underlines the value of working closely with our colleagues in the CRU 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, and we will use all available resources to ensure this does not happen.’
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