A Blackburn petrol station owner, who was jailed for selling hundreds of thousands of litres of illegal diesel to motorists, has been ordered to repay £133,660 in stolen taxes.

Nawaz Jan Virmani, 54, was caught by HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) officers with 2,843 litres of illegal laundered diesel stored at his Shadsworth Road Service Station in June 2013.

An HMRC investigation into his business records revealed fake invoices for 212,450 litres of fuel and no legitimate paperwork for a further 126,791 litres. In February 2016, Virmani was jailed for 16 months for the fuel fraud.

This week he was ordered to pay back the stolen taxes within three months, or face a further 15 months in jail.

The court ruled Virmani benefited by £247,590.57 from the fraud and ordered the confiscation of his current assets worth £133,660.41. HMRC found he had:

• 50% share in Shadsworth Road Service Station, on Shadsworth Road, Blackburn, valued at £125,000;

• a freehold title of a house Troon Avenue, Blackburn, equity valued at £640.41;

• 2% share in Jans Conference Centre, Higher Audley Street, Blackburn, valued at £7,000;

• 150 Rolls Royce shares valued at £1,020; and

• a personal pension that will be worth about £40,000 in 2018.

Debbie Porter, assistant director, Fraud Investigation Service, HMRC, said: “Virmani was jailed for a serious tax fraud and now he has been stripped of everything he has. He is paying the price for trading illegally. We are committed to creating a level playing field for all businesses and stop criminals from undermining the UK economy.

“HMRC is determined to recover money stolen from UK taxpayers. Public funds are crucially important so if you suspect someone of tax fraud report it on 0800 788887 and help us.”

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