An INTERPOL wanted terror-funder who had smuggled in millions of pounds into the United Kingdom may finally face the music as the UK authorities is set to pass a new legislation named ‘Economic Crime (Transparency and Enforcement) Act 2022’. This new law, which was rushed through Parliament at break-neck speed in March, to make foreign ownership of property more transparent and make it easier for the UK to impose sanctions – was widely seen as a long overdue shutting of stable doors.
It may be mentioned here that, at the time, the UK government acknowledged that there was more work to do, and more gaps to be closed. Experts asked – whether this law will solve the UK’s economic crime problem, whether it be dirty money laundered by various individuals, mafia organizations of the vast fraud epidemic.
Central to the new bill is reform to Companies House – a small part of the UK government machinery, whose failure to police companies set up in Britain has been at the heart of an endless stream of global and domestic economic crime scandals over the past decade.
According to analysis by Spotlight on Corruption, the UK government spends £852m a year fighting economic crime – the equivalent of just 0.042 percent of GDP. That’s despite economic crime costing the UK economy at least £290bn a year – equal to 14.5 percent of GDP.
Recently, the UK government’s anti-corruption tsar and Tory Party’s MP John Penrose has called the City of London “a magnet for dirty cash” and warned that online fraud is growing.
But unfortunately, a number of the Tory Party MPs are directly collaborating those who are involved in laundering millions of pounds into the United Kingdom. According to media reports, a member of the UK’s Tory Party Stephen Hammonds MP is accused of working for an INTERPOL wanted terror-patron in exchange for getting “donation” for himself and his party. According to media reports, Shahid Uddin Khan, a convicted fugitive and INTERPOL wanted terror-patron, through a video posted on his Facebook ID has recently claimed of paying Tory Party in exchange for favors received from Stephen Hammonds MP. In another post, Shahid Uddin Khan claimed he held “meeting” with Stephen Hammonds MP, Victoria Mary Atkins MP (Victoria Atkins) and other members of the Tory Party and discussed about toppling-down Bangladesh government through “mass-revolt”.
In a recently posted video statement, Shahid Uddin Khan admitted that he had smuggled-in millions of dollars into the United Kingdom, while he claimed that the UK authorities do not ask anyone as to how the money was brough into the country. It may be mentioned here that, while several international organizations including the Transparency International had branded London as the “capital of dirty money”, convicted and fugitive terror-funder Shahid Uddin Khan’s latest statement clearly proves, British authorities are welcoming laundered monies into that country.
On May 25, 2019. prestigious British newspaper The Sunday Times published a report stating Md Shahid Uddin Khan has been charged with funding terror groups, arms dealing and money laundering offenses in Bangladesh. According to the British newspaper, the sacked army officer has political links in Britain and had funded Stephen Hammonds, a Tory Party MP.
On June 14, 2019, Indian newspaper The Business Standard as well as IANS news agency in their report said: Indian intelligence agencies are probing a deep-rooted nexus involving underworld don Dawood Ibrahim and a London-based former Colonel of the Bangladesh army. The agencies suspect that the Bangladeshi army officer, allegedly involved in gun running, has links with Dawood Ibrahim’s underworld activities operating from India’s eastern borders.
According to our information, Md. Shahid Uddin Khan (Army No: BA002428, Course: 8-BMA, Commission Date: 10-06-1983) Khan, invested millions of pounds in the United Kingdom in exchange for obtaining immigrant status under Visa Tier 1, vide VAF No. 511702. The family had laundered an unknown amount of money and brought that into the United Kingdom via the United Arab Emirates and a few more countries, while Shahid Uddin Khan had invested over 18 million pounds for buying citizenship under Britain’s ‘Golden Visa’ scheme. In a video statement released on June 11, 2022 on his Facebook ID, Shahid Uddin Khan has openly admitted that the entire amount was smuggled into the United Kingdom from Bangladesh as the British authorities do not ask “anyone” as to how they brought such large sum of cash into the country.
According to information obtained by the investigative reporters of Blitz, Shahid Uddin Khan, his wife and three daughters own properties worth millions of pounds in the United Kingdom. Here is information about just two of those properties:
A luxury villa at 239 West Barnes Lane, New Malden KT3 6JD, United Kingdom (this property is purchased in the name of Shahid Uddin
Khan with £1,250000). The land has the benefit of the rights granted by but is subject to the rights reserved by a Conveyance dated 24 October 1927 made between Charles Cunningham and Vera Kahn,
An expensive property at 57 Coombe Lane, West Wimbledon, London SW20 0BD. This property is purchased in the name of Farzana Anjum Khan, Shehtaz Munasi Khan and Parisa Pinaz Khan with £750,000).
In addition to these properties in Bangladesh and the United Kingdom, Shahid Uddin Khan and his family members have made huge investment in a number of business enterprises such as:
Uttara Apparels Limited, Company number 08132788, SIC codes 46420 (Private company limited by shares), located at 57 Coombe Lane, London SW20 0BD, the United Kingdom, where Shahid Uddin Khan holds 65 percent and his wife Farjana Anjum Khan holds 35 shares,
A company named Zumana Investment & Holdings Limited [also named a Zumana Investment & Properties Limited], Incorporation certificate number 0741417, dated October 25, 2010. The registered office of this company is located at Unit 29 Eleanor Street, London, E3 4UR, United Kingdom,
A company named Astha Now Limited, company number 11995656 situated at 239 West Barnes Lane, New Malden, England, KT3 6JD is owned by Farjana Anjum Khan, Shahid Uddin Khan, Parisa Pinaz Khan, Shehtaz Munasi Khan and Zumana Fiza Khan.
They also had established a readymade garments factory in Bangladesh namely Shujon Apparels Limited, which was involved in smuggling of narcotics from Bangladesh to the United Kingdom under the disguise of apparel consignments. It is anticipated that the key reason behind establishment of Uttara Apparels Limited in Britain is also to continue drug trafficking within the European countries.
