Mahmudur Rohman, 46, and Kamal Rahman, 54, of Peterborough-based meat wholesaler Dutch Bangla Direct Ltd, were both sentenced on Wednesday (April 19) at Leicester Crown Court. Last month the pair were convicted of conspiracy to commit fraud.
After the sentencing, judge Marcus Tregilgas-Davey said: “‘Thanks must go to Trading Standards for their complex and thorough investigation, which has shown that those who deceive the public will be pursued, caught and brought to justice.
“By doing so, Trading Standards have restored some integrity and confidence to the supply chain of meat to outlets in the East Midlands, that the defendants had so badly damaged.”
The men were also disqualified from acting as company directors for four years.
‘Great work bringing this fraud case home’
National Food Crime Unit boss Andy Morling welcomed the sentencing. He said on Twitter: “Great work by Leicester City Council in bringing this fraud case home.
“Sentencing sends out a very strong signal.”
The sentencing came after Rohman and Rahman were both found guilty of supplying the incorrectly labelled meat on March 9. Rohman was also found guilty of possessing an article used in fraud, after trading standards offices seized forged halal certificates.
At the time, a Food Standards Agency spokeswoman said: “We congratulate Leicester City Council on the thoroughness of their investigation, which has enabled the jury to find these two men guilty at the end of a long and complex trial.
“The National Food Crime Unit is keen to hear from anyone who suspects that fraud is taking place in any part of the food industry, and any information provided will be handled with the utmost sensitivity.”
£400,000 from conspiracy
Trading Standards estimated that Dutch Bangla had “made a profit of between £300,000 and £400,000 between January 2013 and October 2014”.
The men had imported boneless turkey thigh pieces for between £1 and £1.50 per kg, and sold them as bonesless halal lamb leg for between £4.75 and £7 per kg.
Leicester City Council launched the initial investigation in 2013 following the horsemeat scandal. The council’s food safety team sampled meat to identify trading standards breaches. It subsequently found the incorrectly labelled halal lamb was being supplied to shops and butchers throughout the East Midlands, and across the UK, from Middlesbrough to Portsmouth.
Sentencing of Dutch Bangla Direct duo
Mahmudur Rohman:
- Count 1 – Conspiracy to defraud: Five years imprisonment
- Count 3 – Forgery and Counterfeiting Act 1981: Nine months
- Count 5 – Possession of an article for use in fraud, Fraud Act 2006: Nine months
- Count 6, 7, 8, 9, 12, 13 – Food Safety Act s14(1) and s15(1): 12 months on each
- Count 14 – Traceability: Eight months
- Count 15 – Failure to notify competent authority: Eight months
Kamal Rahman:
- Count 1 – Conspiracy to defraud: Five years imprisonment
- Count 2 – Perverting the course of public Justice: Six months