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Benefits fraud tycoon to pay back £750,000
Felix Allen24 Nov 2009
A property tycoon who claimed benefits for a frozen shoulder while making millions from his business was today stripped of assets worth £750,000.
Shabbir Chowdhury, 44, of Walthamstow, told Newham council he was penniless and too sick to work and pocketed £45,000 in handouts over four years.
But he bought 12 properties across east London with loans of £3million by fraudulently filling out mortgage forms. The married father lied to lenders while taking a £105,000 a year salary as a marketing manager. About £4million passed though his bank account over seven years.
He admitted six counts of making a false representation at Inner London crown court. The confiscation hearing adjourned sentencing until 14 December.
Reader views (4)
I suppose prison and, if applicable, removal from the country is too much to hope for.
- Lawrence, London, England, 25/11/2009 03:12
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brothers and sisters this is happening all over the U.K. crime pays in this country,now if he was in this own neck oF the woods he would have been shot, stoned or left to rot,here i and many others will be paying for him if and when he is sentanced.....CRIME PAYS.
- Tee Kaur, berkhire, 24/11/2009 19:57
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The benefits system has more holes than a sieve as we are constantly hearing of cases of this nature.
The true cost to the taxpayer of benefit frauds must be in the billions but only a small handful of fraudsters will be caught out.
- George, Cambridge UK, 24/11/2009 14:46
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Jail him.It's people like him pushing up property prices while first time buyers can't get a mortgage because the money is all tied up in fraudulent "property empires".
Jail his mortgage broker too.
- Alan., Wimbledon, 24/11/2009 14:42
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