Newcastle ‘fail in lengthy legal battle to stop documents seized by HMRC in 2017 tax fraud investigation being used in civil case’… as fall-out from St James’ Park continues six years on
- St James’ Park was raided in 2017 as part of a tax fraud investigation by HMRC
- It is now claimed that Newcastle have failed to prevent material from that raid being used as part of the alleged multi-million pound tax scandal.
- If Steve Cooper leaves, he will be fired with honor and given another top job. Just listen to why It all starts
Newcastle United’s attempt to prevent material seized during a 2017 raid at St James’ Park from being used by HM Revenue & Customs as part of an investigation into an alleged multi-million pound tax scandal has reportedly failed .
The Telegraph Report that Newcastle went to court to challenge the legality of the 2017 raid, which took place on the same day as a raid on West Ham’s London Stadium.
Officials working on behalf of the tax authorities seized financial data, as well as mobile phones and office computers, under the umbrella of Operation Loom.
However, after a two-and-a-half year legal battle, Newcastle are said to have been unsuccessful in their battle to recover digital copies of seized documents from HMRC.
The Telegraph’s report details how High Court judges ruled that arrest warrants for the 2017 raid had been ‘lawfully’ issued for HMRC’s investigation.
HMRC officials raided Newcastle United’s St James’ Park in 2017 amid a tax investigation
The 2017 raids made headlines at the time and the issue surrounding them continues to this day.
Former Newcastle director Lee Charnley, former owner Mike Ashley’s main man at the club, was arrested at his home at 6am and spent 10 hours with officers before being released without charge.
The matter ended up at Leeds Crown Court on Wednesday, where the Telegraph reported HMRC told how Newcastle had ‘systematically abused’ the tax system.
They claim Newcastle ‘secretly’ used the tax system to make payments to agents and players as they tried to close transfer deals.
In response, it is claimed that Newcastle’s argument is that there are no reasonable grounds to believe that the club has committed tax fraud.
The criminal case against Newcastle United and West Ham was concluded in 2021, but HMRC warned at the time that they had a ‘fleet of civil powers’ at their disposal. another form, would continue.
The club has reportedly failed to return the seized documents to them
The Telegraph’s report adds that a published High Court judgment on Wednesday revealed that a note sent to Newcastle during the criminal investigation highlighted ‘tax breaches of a serious nature’, and that ‘the matter will now be referred to colleagues elsewhere within the Fraud Detection Service’.
The published note adds that the investigation and any appeals would now fall under the ‘banner of civil investigation’.
Newcastle were reportedly keen to see all documents seized during the raid as part of the criminal investigation returned and cleared of any civil case, before a High Court ruling ruled against them last month.
It remains unclear how much HMRC, who began pursuing the Magpies in 2014, will still demand from Newcastle as the case continues.