Essex: Man Guilty Over Film Tax Scam

A man from Essex has been found guilty for his part in a gang that made a film solely to claim £2.8 million in tax benefits.

Tariq Hussan, who's 52 and from Ilford, was convicted of one count of conspiracy to cheat the public purse. 

It is after investigators from HM Revenue and Customers found the film 'A Landscape of Lies' was never intended for the big screen and was a sham project. The gang had claimed the movie starred Hollywood A-listers. 

The real intent though was to defraud the public purse of nearly £1.5 million in VAT along with nearly £1.3 million in film tax credits. 

Evolved Pictures told HMRC that millions of pounds of work had been spent on the film, including paying actors and film set managers, claiming this meant a VAT repayment was due of £1,488,187. 

However, when this was checked, it was discovered the work had not be done and the suppliers and film studios had never heard fo the company. 

John Pointing, Assistant Director of Criminal Investigation at HMRC, said: "This gang thought they could exploit rules for genuine British filmmakers and thieve from the public purse for their own gain. 

"They were wrong as HMRC will not stand by and let that happen. "Falsely claiming VAT that is not due is illegal - so we are pleased that instead of this film flop going straight to DVD, these small-screen z-listers could go straight to jail." 

It is the first prosecution of its kind. The gang will be sentenced on March 25.