Jailed: Father and son given 15 years over £5m charity gift aid scam
A father and son involved in a £5 million charity gift aid scam have been jailed for a total of 15 years.
John Davies, 58, pocketed vast sums in tax relief paid by the government by organising Gift Aid repayments through the Sompan Foundation and Kurbet Foundation.
Many individuals said to have donated to the charities did not even exist, Southwark Crown Court heard.
Davies was given 12 years while his son Benjamin Davies, 31, was given three years.
A third man Olsi Vullnetari, 38, was jailed for seven years for his part in the £5 million scam.
John Davies' daughter, Melody Davies, 28, of Nettles Lane, Shrewsbury, was earlier cleared of the same charges. The court had heard Sompan provides relief for women and children in poverty while the Kurbet Foundation focuses on the well-being of migrants.
Fraudulent tax repayments were claimed on behalf of the Sompan Foundation worth £3,294,450.43 between March 2007 and January 2014 while the Kurbet Foundation received £1,743,748.20.
Money was sent to 15 countries including Ireland, the US and UAE from the Sompan foundation with almost half the funds being diverted to Hungary.
The Davies family owned a holiday home in Balástya, Hungary, where a significant part of the money was sent.
