Fraud and Financial Crimes
VAT and Carousel Fraud (MTIC)
MTIC (Missing Trader Intra-Community) fraud, also known as “Carousel fraud,” has been a key focus of Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs priority prosecution list for many years. Holborn Adams has extensive knowledge of defences in such cases and forensic examination techniques, allowing us to advise you from every possible angle.
What is VAT Fraud in the UK?
Contact our Manchester-based criminal solicitor team today - we want to help you clear your name.
What is Carousel Fraud in the UK?
Carousel fraud, also known as Missing Trader Intra-Community fraud, is a form of VAT fraud. It involves evading or abusing VAT rules during transactions of imported goods between different EU member states.
Carousel fraud is often highly sophisticated and challenging to detect. It sometimes involves organised crime groups linking illegitimate companies or individuals across borders or using fake names and contact details to disguise their connections. However, innocent businesses can also be affected, as HMRC might withhold VAT repayments from these businesses due to the missing trader's unpaid VAT.
We cover all offences including:
- Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs (HMRC) investigation
- Serious Fraud Office (SFO) Investigation
Superior VAT and Carousel Fraud Representation
Every year, MTIC fraud causes multi-million-pound losses to the UK Exchequer. However, our Senior Partner Adam Rasul has extensive experience in defending MTIC fraud, including successfully defending one of the largest VAT fraud cases in UK history, estimated at £330,000,000 (Operation Fastback).
In addition, Holborn Adams’ experience allows us to gain prompt insight into the allegations
against our clients, the companies involved, the jurisdictions referenced, and the procedures related to disclosure in such cases.
Finally, we have considerable knowledge of the nature of defences relied upon in such cases and in forensic areas of examination, allowing us to advise you on every possible angle.
Our Fees
Fixed fee defence
Our team will give you a free, no-obligation quote after your initial consultation. We offer a fixed fee service, free of any hidden extra costs. Our firm is exclusively privately-funded meaning we cannot accept any legal aid clients. Your fees secure you a top-tier team and top-tier treatment, covering
Dedicated, experienced legal team.
Ability to get your case dropped before charges.
Representation at interviews and court hearings.
Requests to vary bail conditions where required.
Negotiating with police or prosecutors
Referrals to various support services.
We’re here to help
Frequently asked questions
Here are some answers to our most commonly asked questions - for tailored support with your case, please call us now for a free initial consultation.
Yes - we are proudly accredited by the two largest governing legal bodies in the UK, the Law Society and Legal 500. We are also regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority.
We have hundreds of client testimonials listed on our website, in addition to reviews on independent review platforms TrustPilot, Google Reviews, and Review Solicitors.
Every case is different. After your initial consultation, we’ll determine which services are best for your defence, and calculate a fixed fee quote for you. The price depends on the complexity of the case, how long it will take, which team members are best for the case, and whether we need to instruct specialists. We do not charge by the hour - only a fixed fee for your whole defence.
When you phone us, you’ll have an initial consultation with a member of our legal team on a completely confidential basis. They will listen to your case and may ask additional questions to get as much detail as possible so the team can decide whether they are the best fit for you. We cannot give exact costs, a timeline, or suggestions on how to proceed in this initial call.After this, they will give your case details to the rest of the team and someone will be in touch with you with a no-obligation fixed fee quote for representation, and some ideas for next steps (such as pre-charge engagement, police interview representation, and similar). It is then up to you whether you’d like to accept the quote and proceed to formally instruct Holborn Adams.
Yes, your initial phone consultation is free of charge. After this, we will give you a free, no-obligation fixed fee quote for using our services.
Yes, when you call us, your call is 100% confidential.
We have a member of our legal team available to speak 24/7, 365 days a year. Whenever you need to speak to someone, you will be connected instantly. All calls are 100% confidential.
No - we are a 100% privately funded firm, meaning we charge a fixed fee for our services. We do not take on legal aid cases. We find that focusing on private cases only allows us to dedicate more time and resources to defending our clients to a much higher degree than firms who are stretched thin by intense legal aid caseloads.
Yes - and it is our ultimate goal with all cases that come to us pre-charge. We believe in a proactive approach, working with you to build a defence that encourages prosecutors and the CPS to drop the case with no further action. Please speak to us as soon as you become aware there are allegations against you. The earlier you reach out, the better.
To decide whether any firm is best to handle your case, you should be asking yourself some key questions:
- How are they funded? - We are a privately funded firm meaning we take on cases for a fixed fee, with no options for legal aid. Some firms are legal aid only or a mix of private defence and legal aid. For the highest level of attention and case preparation, you are best seeking a 100% private firm like us, as we are not stretched thin by a caseload of Government-funded cases.
- Expertise - Our solicitors have diverse experience defending every type of criminal offence. We are, however, specialists in pre-charge defence, fraud, sexual offences, and regulatory investigations, so if your case falls under these categories, we are confident we can secure the best outcome for you.
- Location - We have offices all over the world. We can travel to you and offer remote conferencing services to make things easiest for you.
- Reviews - Our client testimonials speak for themselves. You’ll see hundreds of glowing reviews on our website, as well as on independent review sites like Review Solicitors, Google Reviews, and TrustPilot.
Trusted by clients
Top-rated legal defence and client care
Our clients feel supported, not just in their legal defence, but as individuals facing challenging times. We provide expert representation as well as the guidance, emotional support, and resources they need, which is why we consistently receive glowing reviews.
