Two jailed for bribing
witnesses in drink con

Hull Crown Court was told Bradford solicitor Majed Iqbal and Zameer Hussain, also from the city, bribed foreign witnesses and victims to retract their statements after a police investigation was launched.

Iqbal was jailed for five years for his part in the paying of witnesses and Hussain was given 18 months for perverting the course of justice. Hussain’s brother Yassar absconded after the first day of the seven-week trial and a search has been launched to find him.

The court was told they had set up a fraudulent energy drinks company – Duracell Energy Drinks Ltd – taking orders and offering exclusive regional marketing rights to companies across the world despite never having a product to sell after Proctor and Gamble refused them the licence to sell the product.

After setting up fraudulent business accounts, the defendants defrauded five drinks firms from Dubai, Hong Kong, Iran and Hungary over £312,000 in advance fees.

They set up a stall at the Gulfood Trade Fair at the World Trade Centre in Dubai in February 2009, duping reps from drinks companies into paying for exclusive sale rights and taking orders for the Duracell Energy Drink, of which several thousand dummy cans were made. The business was closed down in August 2009 before the victims could complain.

Police arrested the suspects in November 2009 and luxury cars and nearly £10,000 in cash was seized.

But the three were also found guilty of perverting the course of justice after trying to bribe victims and witnesses, offering cash for the retraction of statements and for witnesses not to appear.

They were further arrested again in May 2012 at Manchester Airport returning from Dubai. A retraction witness statement from a Hong Kong drinks company was found on Iqbal.

Zameer Hussain was also found to have withdrawn £30,000 before leaving for Dubai.

Half of a £45,000 security put up by family and friends of Yasser Hussain was forfeited by the trial judge because he absconded. His two co-defendants were sentenced on Friday.