Man jailed for providing forged documents to FCA in £1.3m fraud investigation

Taheer Sardar has been sentenced to 18 months’ imprisonment for perverting the course of justice after an FCA investigation into a boiler room scam that defrauded 120 investors of £1.3m.

Three individuals, Raheel Mirza, Opeyemi Solaja and Cameron Vickers, were subsequently convicted and sentenced to 23 years for that fraud following prosecution by the FCA.

In his interview, Sardar, acting with Mirza, provided a forged document, which he claimed had been signed by 'Mohammed Khan'. Sardar sought to use the document to bolster a defence raised by Mirza and Solaja, who had claimed – without evidence – that someone named 'Mohammed Khan' was the architect of the fraud they had been involved in.

The FCA did not find that Sardar was involved in the fraud itself, but had provided the document in order to mislead the FCA.

At Sardar’s sentencing on 10 May 2024, the Judge, Recorder Gavaghan, remarked that "this was a sophisticated attempt using a forged document to undermine the course of justice... [It was] a very serious offence that strikes at the very core of the legal system".

Raheel Mirza was convicted of conspiracy to defraud and perverting the course of justice in April 2023. He received an 18 month consecutive sentence for the perverting the course of justice offence (consecutive with an eight year sentence for fraud).

The facts concerning the conviction of Mirza were subject to reporting restrictions until the conclusion of the trial of Taheer Sardar.

Cameron Vickers, Raheel Mirza and Opeyemi Solaja were convicted of conspiracy to defraud contrary to common law.

Steve Smart, joint executive director of enforcement and market oversight at the FCA, said: "Mr Sardar’s conviction and sentence, is a strong warning to anyone who may be tempted to try to help others escape justice - there is no stone we will leave unturned.

"Perverting the course of justice is a serious offence, and the FCA will not hesitate to take action when it identifies this has taken place."