The Land Registry worker who helped a gang steal properties by handing over title deeds and signatures has been jailed.
Surjeet Chana, 64, collapsed in court as she was sentenced to three years and nine months.
She was among a trio of corrupt officials – the others were a solicitor, Charles Spirolpopulos, and a bank manger who cannot be named for legal reasons – recruited by the gang.
The trio had been convicted of fraud and money-laundering offences at Southwark Crown Court.
Spiropoulos, 48, carried out the conveyancing and collected money from the illegal house sales. He was jailed for four years.
A 42-year-old Barclays bank manager, who let the gang move its huge profits in and out of accounts without reporting it to money-laundering investigators, was also sentenced to four years in prison.
At least seven properties are thought to have illegally changed hands. All were empty, their legitimate owners typically in care homes.
Comments
There is much corruption at Land Registry and their even covering up for their own failures by running with the involved parties and so called legals involved in cheating the legal owners of land / property.
My own case of failure by Land Registry Staff to correct an "error" flagged by myself and the "error" being allowed to continue while FIVE PARTIES cleaned up.
Files provided by Land Registry are devoid of my letters of complaint , to further cover that rather than correct matters they have joined in the fraud / corruption taking place.
It just goes to prove - It pays to trust no one.
They'll do a couple of months if they're "ill" or "elderly".
Ken Clarke should be sacked.
Never mind HS2 - build more prisons!