This article is from the source 'guardian' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2013/feb/11/qc-convicted-tax-rohan-pershad
The article has changed 7 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
| Version 1 | Version 2 |
|---|---|
| QC convicted of dodging £620,000 tax | QC convicted of dodging £620,000 tax |
| (30 days later) | |
| A senior barrister who specialised in fraud cases has been found guilty of accumulating over £620,000 in VAT payments that should have been paid in tax. | A senior barrister who specialised in fraud cases has been found guilty of accumulating over £620,000 in VAT payments that should have been paid in tax. |
| Rohan Pershad QC, from Hammersmith in west London, was said to have disappeared off the Inland Revenue's radar in 1999, when he stopped making payments even though he carried on charging his clients for VAT. | Rohan Pershad QC, from Hammersmith in west London, was said to have disappeared off the Inland Revenue's radar in 1999, when he stopped making payments even though he carried on charging his clients for VAT. |
| His illicit profits were said to have helped him to buy properties in Surrey and Somerset that cost more than £1.5m. | His illicit profits were said to have helped him to buy properties in Surrey and Somerset that cost more than £1.5m. |
| Pershad was found guilty of cheating the public revenue at Blackfriars crown court, in London, when the jury was allowed to return a majority verdict after more than nine hours of deliberations. | Pershad was found guilty of cheating the public revenue at Blackfriars crown court, in London, when the jury was allowed to return a majority verdict after more than nine hours of deliberations. |
| Pershad, wearing a grey suit and blue tie, showed little emotion as the verdict was given. He was released on bail until sentencing on 26 February. | Pershad, wearing a grey suit and blue tie, showed little emotion as the verdict was given. He was released on bail until sentencing on 26 February. |
| During the nine-day trial, jurors heard that most barristers are self-employed and are legally required to pay their own VAT. Pershad, however, stopped doing so shortly before he moved to Thirty Nine Essex Street chambers. | During the nine-day trial, jurors heard that most barristers are self-employed and are legally required to pay their own VAT. Pershad, however, stopped doing so shortly before he moved to Thirty Nine Essex Street chambers. |
| Prosecuting, Andrew Marshall told the court: "Through all of that time, he was collecting the VAT. It's just that for that period of 12 years, whilst it was being collected in, it wasn't being accounted for or handed over as VAT. | Prosecuting, Andrew Marshall told the court: "Through all of that time, he was collecting the VAT. It's just that for that period of 12 years, whilst it was being collected in, it wasn't being accounted for or handed over as VAT. |
| "It provided him, if you think about it, with a private, tax-free income because VAT was not being paid. This money, it stayed with Mr Pershad." | "It provided him, if you think about it, with a private, tax-free income because VAT was not being paid. This money, it stayed with Mr Pershad." |
| His online CV depicted a lawyer with a "particular expertise in fraud cases", Marshall added. "This is a man that is used to looking at other people's business and dissecting it and finding fault in it," he told jurors. | His online CV depicted a lawyer with a "particular expertise in fraud cases", Marshall added. "This is a man that is used to looking at other people's business and dissecting it and finding fault in it," he told jurors. |
| Pershad, who was called to the bar in 1991 and was made QC in 2011, specialised in financial disputes, professional negligence and insurance cases. He denied the charge against him, explaining that he believed his chambers had paid his VAT. The jury rejected his defence, which the prosecution described as preposterous. | Pershad, who was called to the bar in 1991 and was made QC in 2011, specialised in financial disputes, professional negligence and insurance cases. He denied the charge against him, explaining that he believed his chambers had paid his VAT. The jury rejected his defence, which the prosecution described as preposterous. |
| Keri Ashworth-Beaumont, specialist prosecutor from the Crown Prosecution Service's central fraud division, said: | Keri Ashworth-Beaumont, specialist prosecutor from the Crown Prosecution Service's central fraud division, said: |
| "The message is clear: paying tax is not an optional extra in any area of working life and withholding tax dishonestly may lead to prosecution." | "The message is clear: paying tax is not an optional extra in any area of working life and withholding tax dishonestly may lead to prosecution." |
| Last month, the Director of Public Prosecutions, Keir Starmer, QC, warned that prosecuting tax evasion should be a priority since it is not a victimless crime. It is estimated to cost the British economy £14bn a year in lost revenue. | Last month, the Director of Public Prosecutions, Keir Starmer, QC, warned that prosecuting tax evasion should be a priority since it is not a victimless crime. It is estimated to cost the British economy £14bn a year in lost revenue. |
| Our editors' picks for the day's top news and commentary delivered to your inbox each morning. | |
| Our editors' picks for the day's top news and commentary delivered to your inbox each morning. Enter your email address to subscribe. |