Stan Reiz QC Tax fraud acquittal

Stan Reiz QC, instructed by Zahir Ahmed and Fergus Harrington of ABV Solicitors, successfully represented a high net worth property developer acquitted on a charge of Cheating the Public Revenue at Southwark Crown Court.

X was accused of evading millions of pounds in income and capital gains tax. Whilst the indictment period ran from 2012-2016, the prosecution case was that X had failed to submit tax returns declaring any income from 2005 onwards. When he submitted four historic self-assessment tax returns in 2015, it was alleged that he deliberately and dishonestly under declared his income.

X was arrested in June 2017 and charged in September 2019, following an extensive investigation into his financial affairs. He was originally due to be tried in July 2020, but his trial was adjourned to February 2021 due to the pandemic.

Following detailed written representations made on his behalf as regards the strength of the evidence against him, the prosecution agreed that there was no longer a realistic prospect of securing a conviction in his case. X was formally acquitted on the 14th September 2020, when the prosecution offered no evidence against him.