# Fraudsters jailed for claiming fake Gift Aid repayments

- Link: https://fundraising.co.uk/2016/01/13/fraudsters-jailed-claiming-fake-gift-aid-repayments/
- Published: 2016-01-13T10:50:23+00:00
- Author: Melanie May

**Two men who invented fake charities and donations to fraudulently reclaim more
than £500,000 in Gift Aid repayments have been jailed for 30 months each.**

The pair from Essex, Abdulshakour Juma, 43, and Ashraf Salim Ali, 42, claimed they
were trustees of the East Coast of African Community and the Bongo Community Association
charities, and submitted claims for Gift Aid repayments based on donations that 
had been made to these charities.

The fraudulent activity took place over a 15-month period, with Gift Aid claims 
totalling £534,640.95: £148,015.05 of which was paid out to the charities, the rest
was withheld by the pair.

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The pair submitted more than £500,000 worth of repayment claims, quickly withdrawing
the money in cash in an attempt to avoid detection. However, HMRC became suspicious
and after £140,000 had been paid out, it stopped their repayments and launched an
investigation.

Working with the Charity Commission and Essex Police, HMRC officers arrested Juma
and Ali at their home addresses in June 2013 on suspicion of making fraudulent Gift
Aid repayment claims and money laundering. Following his arrest, Juma also admitted
making fraudulent Working Tax Credit claims of £1,012 by falsely claiming he was
employed by one of the charities.

Both men were charged on 16 December 2014 at Basildon Magistrates Court with fraud
and money laundering offences. Juma was also charged with making fraudulent claims
for Working Tax Credits. Both Juma and Ali pleaded guilty at Basildon Crown Court
on 9 November 2015 and have since both been jailed for 30 months.

Mike O’Grady, assistant director Fraud Investigation Service, HMRC, said:

> “The fact that this pair would stoop so low as to use a charity as a front to 
> extort money from the taxpayer is shameful. Gift Aid is in place to support legitimate
> charities and offer extra funding, not as an extra income for greedy criminals
> to abuse the system.”

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