£ 10m of assets seized from businessman linked to organised crime

A BUSINESSMAN linked to organised crime has had almost £ 10m worth of properties, cash and land seized through an unexplained wealth order, the National Crime Agency ( NCA) said.

Mansoor Mahmood Hussain, 40, had “strong connections” to “notorious criminals” in the Leeds and Bradford area, including a murderer currently serving 26 years in prison, the agency said.

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

The amount seized, which includes a block of 36 apartments in Leeds, is worth more than £ 9.8m and was obtained through an unexplained wealth order ( UWO).

Andy Lewis, the NCA’s head of civil recovery, said: “Mansoor Hussain thought he had hidden the criminality associated with the source of his property empire, but he didn’t count on our tenacity.

“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.”

Hussain, formerly of Sandmoor

Drive in Leeds, came onto the NCA’s radar following an investigation into an organised crime group in the area, Mr Lewis said.

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

A settlement was agreed between Hussain and the NCA in August and sealed on October 2.

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.