Politics

Nearly £2billion made illegally by criminals will probably NEVER be paid back


ALMOST £2billion made illegally by criminals will probably never be be paid back.

Government officials are supposed to track down the profits from anyone convicted to make them pay back the amount they benefited from their crime – to deter them from doing it again.

 Officials are unable to rake in the millions that criminals gain from their crimes

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Officials are unable to rake in the millions that criminals gain from their crimesCredit: Getty – Contributor

But because so much of it is spent, smuggled overseas or elsewhere, it proves difficult to track it down and get back.

Just £166million worth of cash and assets was clawed back in the last year, fresh figures revealed.

Last year the total value of confiscation orders imposed against criminals reached £2,065,303,000 but HM Courts and Tribunal Service quietly disclosed that just eight per cent was recovered.

And £748million is owed in interest alone from those who have refused to cough up.

However, agencies have been able to claw back an extra £28million compared to the year before, officials argued.

Some of the money is given to the victims as compensation, and extra funds are reimbursed back into police services and the Home Office.

More than £10million worth of debts were written off by the courts in the last year too, the report said – usually when the defendant dies.

If lags can prove they don’t have the assets to pay it back, the amounts can be slashed, but they can be later reviewed.

Hatton Garden burglar jailed again after failing to pay back £7.6million

A RINGLEADER of the Hatton Garden scheme was jailed for another seven years this year after failing to pay back £7.6million he made from his crimes.

John Collins, 78, was handed one of the largest confiscation orders in history after they broke into a safety deposit box back in 2015.

They took £13million worth of gold and jewellry, but three of them were jailed.

Mr Collins was released half-way through his seven-year sentence but returned to jail in April after failing to cough up the money he owed under a confiscation order.

Yasmin Qureshi, shadow justice minister said: “The Government is letting down the victims of crime.

“Criminals should not be able to keep their ill-gotten gains, but that is exactly what has been allowed to happen.

“Financial sanctions will not act as deterrents if there is no chance of their enforcement, but ministers appear to have simply given up.”

Jailed drug gang member told to pay back just £58 – when he made £680k from crimes

A JAILED gang member who raked in £680,000 in profits from selling drugs was ordered to pay back just £58 earlier this year.

Christopher Smith, 32, from Leicester, was found to have no assets left by police financial investigators.

Several of his accomplices were told to pay back more – ranging from £290 to £30,000.

Police said they would keep the amounts under review in case they aquire more assets.

The men will be liable for the debts until they are paid off in full.

Last year ministers took the “disappointing” decision to scrap a programme aimed at recovering more debt, because it was seen as affordable.

A Ministry of Justice spokeswoman said: “We do everything possible to make sure criminals pay back what they owe and recovered more money for the taxpayer last year than ever before.”

Hatton Garden raider blames ‘mastermind’ for the gang getting caught and claims he ‘abandoned them’ when heist didn’t go to plan


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