Two taxi drivers jailed for their role in fake cash insurance scam
Two men and two women from Bradford falsely claimed to be involved in a car accident which could have left insurers with a considerable bill.
One of the insurance companies involved, Liverpool Victoria (LV), became wary after a claim was made after a policy was taken out. Had the claims for injuries and vehicle repair and storage been successful, the company would have had to pay out approximately £145,000.
Abdul Jamil, aged 47, said a car drove into the side of his taxi which was carrying passengers Shamila Saleem, aged 47, and Farhana Kazami, aged 42, in Leeds in 2009.
Investigations discovered similarities between that case and one being brought against esure insurance by private hire driver Mohammed Adris Aziz, aged 41.
The insurers turned the claims down because the accidents had been fake and constructed, they also found the fraudsters were involved with five similar claims. They uncovered multiple polices that were taken out using different names, but with the same bank details, and that policy holders did not actually exist.
The claimants then chased after insurers for losses and the case went to trial.
But before that hearing, Kazmi contacted LV’s solicitors admitting the accident never happened and said she her motivation was greed. The other claimants however maintained the accidents were genuine, but the judge ruled in the insurers’ favour.
The firms then started contempt of court proceedings and all four eventually admitted 33 charges jointly brought against them at a High Court hearing in Liverpool.
Aziz admitted ten allegations and Kazmi admitted eight. Jamil and Saleem at first denied seven and eight allegations respectively, but later confessed to them.
Mr Justice Lewis said, “The dishonest making of false statements undermines that system of justice. It undermines public confidence in the justice system. It strikes at the heart of the fair administration of justice.”
Aziz was jailed for six months and Jamil and Saleem were sentenced to eight months. Kazmi was sentenced to 12 weeks, suspended for six months.
Managing Director of LV car insurance John O’Roarke said, “This is a case where organised criminals were deliberately staging accidents, putting themselves and the safety of innocent motorists at risk, in order to defraud insurers of thousands of pounds.”
Head of Financial Crime at esure Matt Gilham said, “Spurious cases such as these take up valuable court time as well as the resources of all parties involved leading to increased costs for consumers.”
