A former HMRC compliance officer who helped her ex-husband launder more than £3 million has been given a suspended prison sentence. Kuldip Badesha, 46, admitted misconduct in a public office and was sentenced to 14 months' imprisonment, suspended for 18 months, at Southwark Crown Court.
Badesha assisted her ex-husband, Ranbir Singh, 46, in registering bogus companies by submitting letters with fake National Insurance numbers and signatures to Companies House. She also provided false documents purportedly from HMRC. Singh was jailed for six years for two counts of money laundering after being convicted of laundering £3.3 million between 2015 and 2018.
Judge Adam Hiddleston accepted that Badesha felt obliged to help her ex-husband and did not profit from her actions. He noted her genuine remorse and the fact she had never been in trouble before. Badesha was also ordered to complete 180 hours of unpaid work and five days of rehabilitation activities.
HMRC investigators discovered Badesha was living beyond her means, leasing an expensive Bentley and taking long-haul holidays. She was arrested in 2018 and dismissed from HMRC in November 2019. Ben Rollins, head of anti-corruption at HMRC, called her actions an 'appalling breach of trust'.
Badesha met Singh shortly before he was jailed for kidnap in 2008 and married him while he was on weekend release in 2013. She did not inform HMRC of her marriage or his criminal history. The money laundering began while Singh was on day release and continued after his release on licence in 2014.
