THE director of a Hampshire call centre and an accountant have been jailed over a £2.3 million fraud.

David Buckley, 51, and accountant Mahmood Sadiq Poptani, 60, were sent to prison for a total of seven and a half years following a trial at Winchester Crown Court.

HMRevenue and Customs (HMRC) found that Buckley stole PAYE deductions from employees and VAT while he was the managing director of Compensation Professionals Network Ltd between 2008 and 2012.

The call centre employed around 100 people to buy and sell leads for personal injury and PPI claims, and in 2011, Buckley hired Swansea-based Poptani.

It was found that instead of paying the taxes due, Buckley bought shares in other businesses and propped up his own failing company.

Poptani played a crucial role in the illegal movement of money from Compensation Professionals Network Ltd and sent £453,000 overseas.

The company went into liquidation in 2013 and Buckley and Poptani were arrested in November 2015.

Daren Cooley, assistant director of the Fraud Investigation Service, HMRC, said: "HMRC is committed to ensuring all companies and individuals pay the right tax at the right time and we will pursue those who fail to do so.

"We used our criminal powers to uncover Buckley’s significant failure as a managing director. He knew what was owed and when.

"Buckley and Poptani are now paying the price for their dishonesty with a spell in prison."

The pair went on trial at Winchester Crown Court on 15 July 2019, and on the second day of their trial Buckley pleaded guilty to one count of the fraudulent evasion of VAT and two counts of the fraudulent evasion of income tax.

Poptani pleaded guilty to one count of concealing criminal property.

At their sentencing Buckley was jailed for four years and 11 months and Poptani was jailed for two years and eight months.