This case was referred to the London RART from the Dedicated Cheque and Plastic Card Unit (DCPCU). It involved the 4 defendants obtaining card payment facilities from the HSBC at 3 fast food chicken outlets they ran in North West London and Watford.
Between 27 February 2003 and 23 July 2003 they conspired together and with others unknown to defraud the central clearing banks, credit card issuers and other financial institutions by using these facilities for fraudulent transactions.
The institutions involved were:
Abbey HFC
Alliance Leicester HSBC
Barclays Lloyds TSB
Capital One MBNA
Citibank Morgan Stanley
Egg Banking Nationwide
Goldfish Trading Royal Bank of Scotland
Halifax USA Federal Savings
All 4 pleaded guilty at Southwark Crown Court, and on 9th September 2005, Saddanathan SATHIYANATHAN (SS) & Pararajasingham PARAMESWARAN (PP) were sentenced to 2 years imprisonment. Kabilan POOLOGASUNDARAMPILLA (KP) was sentenced to 21 months imprisonment. Pararajasingham SATHEESWARAN (PS) was sentenced to serve a Community Punishment Order of 200 hours.
At a confiscation hearing on 28th June and 29th June 2006 HHJ Wadsworth QC made the following confiscation orders:-
SATHIYANATHAN: to pay £43,000.00 within 28 days. The period of imprisonment in default of this payment is 18 months.
PARAMESWARAN: to pay £38,292.73 within 4 months. The period of imprisonment in default of this payment is 18 months. He was detained by the Immigration Service for deportation on the morning of the hearing date but he was produced on the following day.
POOLOGASUNDARAMPILLA: to pay £40,000.00 within 2 months. The period of imprisonment in default of this payment is 18 months.
SATHEESWARAN: to pay £38,292.73 within 4 months. The period of imprisonment in default of this payment is 18 months.
In the course of the confiscation investigation a £10,000 overpayment of council tax in relation to one of the defendants was discovered. This is a recently identified method of money laundering and concealing assets. The overpayments are made and later requested to be refunded.
All the money confiscated is to be compensated to the above financial institutes on a pro rata basis of amount defrauded.