Loughborough-based businessman pays half a million pounds to settle alleged links to money laundering

Leicestershire Police began investigating the business owner back in 2009 after suspected him of operating a large-scale money laundering scheme, which facilitated the transfer of funds out of the UK.

Officers identified the proceeds of a mortgage fraud, totalling almost £420,000.

In 2009 Miah used almost £300,000 of this money towards the purchase of the Warwick Arms, a restaurant he owned in Loughborough.

When he sold the business five years later he used the proceeds to purchase another four properties.

Those properties were collectively valued at £1.08 million and eventually became the subject of the NCA’s civil recovery claim in 2019.

Earlier this month a civil recovery order was agreed between the NCA, Salim Miah, his wife Milan Begum and business associate Joshim Uddin.

The civil order, worth £500,000, relates to a residential rental property, a plot of land and a cash payment of £32,500.

Andy Lewis, Head of civil recovery at the NCA said: “Money laundering is a key enabler of organised crime and professional services like Money Service Businesses, can often be abused in order to ‘clean’ cash linked to criminality.

“The NCA is able to use tools such as civil recovery orders, to ensure those who benefit from the proceeds of crime do not hold on to illicit wealth. 

“These assets will eventually be sold with the proceeds going towards combatting further crime.”