"It is the size of Buckingham Palace."
A notorious fraudster who defrauded the taxman to build a £2.3 million castle in Pakistan “the size of Buckingham Palace” has paid back just £1,700.
Mohammed Suleman Khan, of Birmingham, was originally jailed for four years in 2014 for a £450,000 tax fraud.
A police investigation first revealed that Khan was living in a gated house in Moseley worth £500,000.
Upon raiding the property, officers found Khan had plans to build a mansion in Attock, Pakistan.
The shell and roof had been built for £893,000. Once completed, the property would have been valued at £2.3 million.
Known as The General, Khan had been questioned over the execution of Azmat Yaqub in 2004.
Mr Yaqub was murdered by two men, armed with machine guns, at Chic Physique gym in Sparkhill, Birmingham.
Yaqub died of head and chest wounds at the scene.
He told police that he was a £40,000-a-year debt collector.
But a probe found the fraudster was making at least £300,000 from crime.
Judge Andrew Menary QC gave his verdict after hearing the details of Khan’s extravagant lifestyle which included building a ‘palace’ in Pakistan.
Speaking about the palace, Judge Andrew Menary QC said at the time:
“It is enormous with dozens of rooms, a library, servant quarter, cinema, underground parking and guard rooms.
“It is the size of Buckingham Palace.”
In 2016, Khan’s jail sentence was increased by 10 years when he failed to pay a £2.2 million confiscation order.
He was released in 2021, having served half his default sentence.
In a statement, West Midlands Police said:
“POCA (Proceeds of Crime Act) Asset Recovery is often extremely complex and time-consuming.
“Our progress to date has been slower than we would like in this case.
“It is the obligation of Mr Khan to pay the confiscation order and remains so, despite having served the default sentence.
“There are a number of significant complications surrounding the recovery of the Birmingham assets.
“We have, however, acted on intelligence from the community and we conducted a warrant at the house in Moseley on 30 May. No weapons were found.”
As of May 2024, he owes £3.7 million to HM Courts & Tribunals Service, including £1.5 million in interest.
In non-payment cases, eight per cent interest is added annually to the original sum.
It has been revealed that he has paid back just £1,700.
It was believed that Khan was living in the same house he lived in when he was jailed, however, his whereabouts are unknown.
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