MP's son given jail for cash scam

http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/1/hi/scotland/glasgow_and_west/6249052.stm

Version 0 of 1.

The son of millionaire businessman and Labour MP Mohammed Sarwar has been sentenced to three years in jail for an £850,000 money laundering scam.

Athif Sarwar, 28, was found guilty last month of laundering thousands of pounds described as "criminal property".

The judge at the High Court in Glasgow, Lord Carloway, said he had no option but to impose a custodial sentence.

He took into account concern for Mr Sarwar's health and the time it had taken for the case to come to court.

Father-of-two Sarwar, 28, of Lynebank Place, Mearnskirk, was previously found guilty of laundering various sums in 2003.

The offences took place between 24 February and 25 April 2003 when Sarwar was working at United Wholesale (Scotland) Ltd, which has its headquarters at Maxwell Road, Glasgow.

His co-accused Mansoor Khan, 43, of Giffnock, Glasgow, who was the assistant manager of the cash and carry, was found not guilty of any involvement in the money laundering scam.

The court was told that Sarwar received cash which was described on the charge as "criminal property" by electronic transfer into the company's business account.

The money was then concealed, disguised, converted or transferred, before it was again transferred as either cash or goods to an unknown person.