Roman ‘holiday’ for Scot in £344m fraud inquiry
Under house arrest...but still manages to go on a sightseeing tour
WHEN in Rome, everyone wants to be photographed at the famous landmarks.
Clearly, it proved too much of a temptation for Scot Andrew Neave – despite his alleged involvement in a £344million Mafia- style, money-laundering scam.
Instead of maintaining a low profile after being released from I t ali an police custody while awaiting legal developments, he did the exact opposite – and went on a sightseeing tour.
Afterwards, the 45-year-old from Dundee even posted photographs taken at some of the Eternal City’s top attractions, including the Trevi Fountain, on his Facebook page.
They showed him smiling and cuddling hi s wife Lisa and posing with their daughters Lana, Hayley and Erin among crowds of tourists.
Friends and relatives posted comments online after seeing the photographs. One wrote: ‘Good for you matey, you all look great; things are starting to look up.
‘You’re probably sick of Italian food by now though.’
Euan Hird posted: ‘ Nice photo son. You’re all looking well.’
Neave’s sister Tracy Brough also commented on the family snaps taken during his sightseeing tour, s ayi ng: ‘ Great photos bro. Magnifico.’
Yesterday, a source close to the case confirmed that Neave had been freed from custody while the Italian legal process continues.
The source added: ‘ He is under what is, in effect, house arrest.’
It is not clear when the case is likely to come to court again. Neave is accused – along with two others men, Paul O’Connor and Andrew Dines – of being involved in a business that ran up millions of pounds worth of losses.
Acumen (UK) Ltd is alleged by I t al i an prosecutors t o have been part of what is said to be a ‘colossal’ carousel fraud. The company’s most recent balance sheet shows liabilities of
‘Arrested under EU warrant’
£ 6, 625,000, al t hough of f i ci al documents showed it never had more than four employees.
Neave and the others were extradited to Italy last June after prosecutors claimed they were involved in an alleged fraud that used ‘Mafia methods’.
It relates to a complicated international network of multi-millionpound transactions which has been branded by an i nvestigating magistrate ‘ one of the most colossal in the history of Italy’.
More than 50 people from Italy, the UK, former Soviet states and the US have been implicated in the scheme.
It is claimed companies engaged in carousel VAT fraud in Italy – acting as fictitious clients so money generated by the fraud was laundered through the firms’ accounts.
Neave was extradited after being arrested by the Serious and Organised Crime Agency. He was put on a flight from Heathrow to Rome after an appearance at Westminster Magistrates Court in London.
He has been extradited under the European Arrest Warrant system that allows foreign authorities to demand the return of suspects without providing any evidence against them.
The Foreign Office said: ‘We can confirm Mr Neave was arrested under a European Union arrest warrant on June 29. We are providing consular assistance to the family.’
Neave’s f amily declined to comment yesterday.