'Appalling' Birmingham kidnapper jailed over £3m dirty money scam involving tax worker ex-wife

A convicted kidnapper with an "appalling history of offending" has been jailed after roping in his tax worker ex-wife to help him launder more than £3million. Ranbir Singh, 46 and from Great Barr, was handed six years for money laundering over the £3.3m plot, which ran from 2015 to 2018.

His former wife, Kuldip Badesha, also 46 and from Kent, was sentenced to 14 months, suspended for 18 months, yesterday, Wednesday, November 27, at Southwark Crown Court. She admitted misconduct in a public office.

The court heard Badesha was rumbled when HMRC investigators discovered she was leading a lifestyle beyond her means, which included leasing an expensive Bentley car and enjoying long-haul holidays. She was arrested by officers from HMRC’s anti-corruption unit in 2018 and sacked in November 2019.

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Passing sentence, Judge Adam Hiddleston said Singh’s case involved “significant planning and sophisticated offending over a period of years”, adding he had an “appalling history of offending”. He told him: “You used the existence of those bogus companies to open bank accounts.”

Singh did not look at Badesha as he was led from the dock after being jailed. The judge said he accepted Badesha, a former compliance officer, “felt obliged” to help her ex-husband and “didn’t make any profit” from her actions.

Badesha met Singh, also known as Ray Singh Rana, just before he was jailed for 11 years for kidnap in 2008, HMRC said. She continued the relationship when he was inside prison and married him while he was on weekend release in May 2013.

The criminal money began to be laundered when he was on day release and continued after leaving prison on licence in June 2014, the tax authority added. Badesha did not change her surname or tell HMRC about her marriage and failed to notify HMRC of her partner’s arrests and convictions.

The judge said Badesha “assisted” Singh in registering bogus companies through the submission of letters, which included fake National Insurance numbers and signatures, to Companies House. He said Badesha provided her ex-husband with “false documents” purported to have come from HMRC, adding she “didn’t know” what use the letters had.

The judge told Badesha: “You have worked all your life and through this you have lost everything you worked for. You used your position of considerable trust as a no doubt valued member of the HMRC team to lend legitimacy to a claim which was not true and which you knew to be a lie.”

Judge Hiddleston said Badesha’s offending could have the effect of “undermining” public trust in the tax, payments and customs authority. He said he accepted she had displayed “genuine remorse and regret”, telling her: “You are someone who has never been in trouble before.

“You are in employment and have worked hard to maintain employment despite losing your position at HMRC. There is a more than realistic prospect of rehabilitation in your case.

“I’m sure we will not see you before the courts again.” Badesha was also sentenced to 180 hours of unpaid work and five days of rehabilitation activity requirements.

Ben Rollins, head of anti-corruption at HMRC, said: “This was an appalling breach of trust from Badesha. She abused her position to help her husband launder millions of pounds.

“Money laundering allows criminals to profit from the misery they inflict on their victims and often funds even more serious crimes. We are absolutely committed to the highest level of integrity and will track down the tiny minority who let us all down by falling short of those standards.”

The Crown Prosecution Service said Singh used his position as company director to launder money from business accounts to personal accounts for his own gain. Kelly Matthews, a unit head for the CPS serious economic organised and international directorate, said: “The investigation uncovered this criminal enterprise amounted to around £3 million in turnover.

“Money-laundering enriches dishonest individuals and funds their future conduct. It serves to undermine the United Kingdom economy and (is) therefore a crime that affects all of us. The CPS has commenced proceedings to recover these defendants’ criminal proceeds.”