A HUSBAND and wife, who were convicted of money laundering offences in 2012, were earlier this month ordered to pay back £378,187.
Abdulrahman Ishaq, aged 40 and Aisha Choudhary, aged 33 of Bedford Road, London, were at a Proceeds of Crime Act confiscation hearing, held at Northampton Crown Court on Monday, 2 March 2015.
Her Honour Judge Tayton ordered the pair to pay the sum back within six months or face additional prison sentences of between 24 -30 months.
They were originally convicted in 2012, after being investigated for their involvement in a complex web of money laundering involving the sale of stolen computer circuit boards from a company in Northampton.
At the time Ishaq was sentenced to two years in prison, reduced on appeal from three years. Choudhary was sentenced to eight months in prison, reduced on appeal from one year.
Over the past couple of years, Northamptonshire Police financial investigators identified that the couple had benefited from over half a million pounds from their criminal lifestyles, including owning three properties in London, two of which were registered under false names.
Mr Rankin McCarrick, lead financial investigator, said: “This was a complex and protracted investigation, which started off as a burglary from a company in Northampton with the property being sent abroad to Canada.
“The offenders were traced and as a result we conducted a financial investigation into their affairs. We uncovered unexplained wealth which we felt could only have come from crime and which the pair were trying to legitimise.
“We asked the courts for a confiscation order to recover this wealth which the judge granted. This helps us achieve our aim of disrupting criminals and removing assets obtained through crime.”