Scottish Conman On The Run After Scamming Kenyan Telcos Ksh3.3B
A Scottish fraudster involved in a VAT scam of Ksh3.3 billion (£20 million) is wanted in Kenya for outstanding debts to one of the country’s leading telecoms companies.
The suspect, originating from Bathgate, West Lothian, is being chased in Kenyan courts by the telecoms giant after reportedly fleeing the country while owing his previous employer Ksh119 million (£709,000).
In March 2024, the Scot was sentenced separately to six years in prison after being convicted alongside 19 others in a huge VAT scam that was discovered over a 10-year investigation.
According to court filings from the telecommunications company’s case, the suspect’s firm abandoned its Nairobi premises in 2016, transferring all its shares to a different company registered in Seychelles.
The telecoms company believes the share transfer was part of an intricate conspiracy to allow the suspect and his business partner to flee Kenya without paying their debts.
Part of the agreement between the suspect and the telecom provider included the suspect’s company entering into a network-sharing agreement in 2006.
However, by 2016, the company had began to default on payments due under the agreement.
In 2024, a Nairobi judge ordered the suspect and his co-director to return to Kenya to answer for the outstanding debt.
The judge ruled that the men would be held “personally liable” if they evaded the court again.
The suspect, alongside his wife and son, had earlier this month been implicated in another complex VAT fraud scheme involving metals, electrical goods and telecommunications.
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His 41-year-old son was also given a 22-month suspended sentence for his role in the taxpayer-funded swindle.
Meanwhile, the wife was given a two-year suspended sentence for money laundering after an HMRC investigation discovered that she enabled Ksh42 million (£250,000) to travel through her personal accounts while her family enjoyed luxurious excursions to Florida vacation houses.
In 2023-24 HMRC issued 456 penalties to wealthy individuals for £5.8m, 25 prosecuted.
— Prem Sikka (@premnsikka) November 16, 2025
Tax scams designed by accountants, lawyers; five prosecutions in 2023-2024.
Govt taking power to snoop on benefit claimants' bank accounts, not on tax abuse industry.https://t.co/nyGTM8WSoe
An HMRC investigation is one conducted by HM Revenue & Customs, the UK government body in charge of collecting taxes and enforcing tax laws.
The inquiry centered on a Crewe-based company that allegedly traded metals, electrical supplies, and telecoms equipment through a network of firms while submitting fraudulent VAT claims.
