// BBC UK NEWS — CRONACA
The convicted £33m tax fraudster evading justice and living it up in Dubai
Arif Patel, who masterminded a massive VAT carousel fraud, remains on the run
One of the UK's most prolific fraudsters, described by a judge as a "breathtakingly arrogant" and "totally dishonest" man, remains on the run in Dubai after stealing more than £33m of public money.
Arif Patel, from Preston in Lancashire, was exposed following a complex investigation spanning years, led by His Majesty's Revenue and Customs (HMRC), which established that he had tried to steal as much as £90m.
Patel, who skipped the UK in 2011 never to return, was eventually convicted in his absence and in 2023 was handed a 20-year prison sentence.
BBC File on 4 Investigates has been on the trail of the man who stole from all of us - and seemingly got away with it.
"Al Capone was brought down by the taxman. This is the same situation and 20 years was more than a satisfying result," said Rod Stone, a veteran investigator of large-scale tax fraud, of Patel's conviction and custodial sentence.
The judge at Patel's sentencing hearing described him as the leader of a "fraternal organised crime group" with his brothers Munaf and Faisal who were "truly high-level criminals".
The fact that Arif Patel has not served a single day of his 20-year prison sentence clearly rankles with Stone.
For him and the dozens of others who were involved in bringing Patel down, there remains a strong sense that justice has only been served on paper.
Former HMRC assistant director Rod Stone specialised in the detection of fraud and organised crime