Restaurateur jailed after cooking books

A Carryduff restaurateur who lied about his sales figures to steal more than Â£79,000 in tax, has been sentenced to seven months in jail after an HM Revenue and Customs investigation.

By The Newsroom

Published 3rd Jun 2016, 16:28 BST

Updated 3rd Jun 2016, 17:32 BST

Jainal Abedin (49) of Hawthorne Manor, sole director of Moira Masala Hut Ltd, admitted declaring only part of his business’s cash sales between June 2012 and November 2014.

At close of business, Abedin would regularly enter a false till reading for a lower cash sales figure for the day, later declaring thefraudulent figures in his VAT returns.

He was sentenced at Craigavon Crown Court yesterday to 14 months imprisonment; seven in custody and seven on licence.

Abedin pleaded guilty at an earlier hearing in May to being knowingly concerned in the fraudulent evasion of VAT contrary to the VAT Act 1994. The total value of the fraud was £79,545. Sales made from a licensed restaurant are charged at VAT rate of 20%.

HM Revenue and Customs VAT