What is an Unexplained Wealth Order? UWOs explained as suspected Leeds businessman Mansoor Mahmood Hussain has £10mn in assets seized

Mansoor Mahmood Hussain has had to give up almost £10 in assets after an Unexplained Wealth Order – here’s what that means

A businessman from Leeds has had almost £10 million worth of properties, cash and land seized through an Unexplained Wealth Order.

Mansoor Mahmood Hussain, known as Manni, formerly of Sandmoor Drive in Alwoodley, had "strong connections to notorious criminals" in the Leeds and Bradford area, including a murderer currently serving 26 years in prison, the National Crime Agency (NCA) said.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Hussain came onto the NCA’s radar following an investigation into an organised crime group in the area, Andy Lewis, the NCA’s head of civil recovery said.

(Photo: Shutterstock)(Photo: Shutterstock)
(Photo: Shutterstock)
Read More
Businessman linked to organised crime in West Yorkshire has almost £10m worth of...

While he initially appeared to be a “successful businessman” with no previous convictions, there was a “compelling case” that he was an alleged money launderer and had links to those involved in the drugs trade.

But what is an Unexplained Wealth Order, and what does it mean for Hussain?

What is an Unexplained Wealth Order?

An Unexplained Wealth Order (UWO) is a court order that compels an individual to reveal the source(s) of their unexplained wealth.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

It came into force at the beginning of 2018, and allows investigators to look into the source of wealth of public figures at risk of bribery, or those suspected of links to serious organised crime.

Those who fail to account once an Unexplained Wealth Order has been issued against them are liable to have assets seized after an enforcement authority like the National Crime Agency makes a successful appeal to the High Court.

However, UWOs become ineffective once a defendant provides an explanation for the source of their wealth; as long as there is no evidence to the contrary, the defendant wins the argument.

The NCA is the only body to have used the legislation, though the Serious Fraud Office, HM Revenue & Customs, Financial Conduct Authority, and Crown Prosecution Service all have the authority.

What does it mean for Hussain?

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Hussain has had to give up the “vast majority” of his assets, including properties in Leeds, London and Cheshire, £583,950 in cash and four parcels of land, following the investigation.

The amount seized is worth more than £9.8 million.

The agency obtained a UWO from the High Court in July 2019, requiring Hussain to provide evidence about where the money came from for eight of his properties, to which he complied.

But subsequent investigations found he had a “significantly bigger property portfolio” than initially disclosed, as well as a large number of businesses and bank accounts.

Mr Lewis of the NCA said: “Far from taking his UWO response at face value, we studied what he had and hadn’t divulged. We could then use that information to look far enough back to uncover the hidden skeletons in his financial closet.”

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

A settlement between Hussain and the NCA was agreed on 24 August, with the High Court sealing the asset recovery order on 2 October.

Mr Lewis said: “He (Hussain) decided to hand over those assets. He took the view that was the best action for him, rather than go to court and potentially lose all those assets.”

Graeme Biggar, director general of the National Economic Crime Centre, said while the NCA suspected Hussain was a money launderer, it has not been proven.

How has Donald Trump been involved with UWOs?

In February 2020, the Scottish Government was urged by Patrick Harvie MSP, co-leader of the Scottish Greens, to apply for an unexplained wealth order to investigate Donald Trump’s deals to acquire his Scottish properties.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

He called on ministers to apply to the Court of Session to seek answers as to how Mr Trump bankrolled his multi-million acquisitions of land and property in his mother’s homeland.

Mr Trump and the Trump Organisation have always stressed that they did not require any outside financing for their Scottish resorts, but Mr Harvie said that a UWO was “designed precisely for these kinds of situations.”

He told MSPs: “Trump’s known sources of income do not explain where the money came from in these huge cash transactions. There are reasonable grounds for suspecting that his lawfully obtained income was insufficient.

“There are reasonable grounds for suspecting that he, or people he is connected with, have been involved in serious crime. Some of them have pleaded guilty.”

At the time of writing, it seems the matter went no further.