Two financial advisers who fraudulently tried to claim almost £145,000 in Gift Aid have each been jailed for two years.
Raymond Agbo, 42, and Akua Owusu, 26, both of Lockyer Mews, Enfield claimed that fictitious UK taxpayers had donated to the Church of Grace Ministries UK.
The two ran Mondvi & Co Ltd, a financial services company, through which they processed a Gift Aid repayment claim for £144,800 on behalf of the church.
To support the claim they provided false documentation – including the names and addresses of donors who did not exist.
Both were found guilty in January 2013 of two counts of conspiracy to Cheat the Public Revenue, by fraudulently claiming a repayment for Gift Aid charitable donations, and submitting false documentation to HMRC to support the claim.
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Sentencing the pair, who are of Ghanian descent, at the Old Bailey yesterday (20 February) Judge Marks QC described the fraud as deliberate.
He said: "You both played an active part in the fraud...you have shown no iota of remorse for what you have done."
David Margree, HMRC assistant director of criminal investigation, said: "Agbo and Owusu had the financial knowledge to make a determined attempt to steal from honest people. They submitted the false claim knowing that it was an abuse of a scheme designed to help charities in need."
Mr Agbo and Ms Owusu were both sentenced to two years' imprisonment and were disqualified under the Company Directors Disqualification Act for five years.

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