Alexander George, 80, of Long Ashton, Bristol, was sentenced in 2018 after an HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) investigation for shipping military items to Iran, including MiG 29 and US F4 Phantom parts.
George made more than £5 million from an operation that violated Weapons of Mass Destruction controls by enlisting the assistance of others and their businesses to transport the parts through Malaysia and Dubai.
George was ordered to pay £700,000 within three months or face another three months in prison at a confiscation hearing on 8 June 2022 at Southwark Crown Court, where he was absent due to illness.
If he does not repay the money, he will be imprisoned and will still owe the amount when he is released.
According to Nicola Dunk, Assistant Director of HMRC’s Fraud Investigation Service:
George profited from selling prohibited items that ended up in Iran.” He didn’t care what they were used for, and his attempts to undermine strict trade embargoes and internationally agreed-upon controls were cynical.
“Once someone is convicted, we will look to reclaim money obtained through illegal means.” If George fails to pay the confiscation order, he will be sent back to prison and will still owe the money when he is released.”
The United Kingdom has a strict licencing regime in place to ensure that military equipment and dual-use items, which could be used by both the military and civilian sectors, do not fall into the wrong hands.
Investigators from HMRC discovered that George purchased the aircraft parts in the United States and shipped them to his companies in Malaysia and Dubai before illegally shipping them to Iran.
But he became concerned that he was being investigated and even looked on the internet to see who was wanted by the FBI, CIA, and Interpol for selling aircraft parts to Iran.
In August and December 2010, George was questioned by HMRC officers at Heathrow Airport and denied dealing in aircraft parts. He told officers he sold construction equipment such as wheelbarrows, goggles, and gloves.
Between February 2010 and March 2016, George was convicted of knowingly exporting controlled military or dual-use goods. On November 22, 2018, he was sentenced to two and a half years in prison at the Old Bailey.
At Southwark Crown Court, Paul and Iris Attwater were found guilty of the same offence. On October 26, 2018, they each received a six-month suspended prison sentence from the same court.
