WIREDGOV

The National Crime Agency (NCA) has won a case over a property on Sandmoor Drive, Leeds.

The NCA accepted title to the house in 2020, as part of a £10 million civil recovery agreement with a businessman suspected of money laundering offences. At the time, no other interests in the property were declared.

The recent proceedings relate to an interest claimed by the current resident, Mrs Abigail Katung.

Mrs Katung was not party to earlier proceedings, but had entered into an agreement with the previous owner to purchase the house in 2015. She paid him approximately £400,000 of the contracted £1m purchase price. The remaining sum was never provided.

There is no suggestion that Mrs Katung was aware of the alleged criminality of the former owner.

The case revealed that the majority of funds used for Mrs Katung’s deposit were routed from Nigeria to the UK via an informal value transfer system she described as a “parallel” or “black” market. The judge noted there were “telling omissions” from her evidence, and was “not satisfied that she was a particularly reliable witness”.

Last week, the High Court found that Mrs Katung had no legitimate interest or right to the property, which will be vested in, and transferred to, the NCA. The Agency will be entitled to damages for Mrs Katung’s use and occupation of the house for the relevant period, as well as to its costs.

Rob Burgess, Head of Asset Denial at the NCA, said:

““The NCA uses both civil and criminal powers to investigate the provenance of assets in the UK believed to have been acquired using the proceeds of crime.

“The court’s finding here will allow us to fully recover a property we accepted title to in 2020, ensuring that a substantial sum can be returned to the public purse.”