David Walbank KC briefed to defend £98 million tax fraud charges

David Walbank KC has been briefed for the defence in Operation Salmon. The criminal proceedings follow a 6-year investigation by HM Revenue & Customs. A total of twenty defendants has been charged with offences relating to the alleged evasion of £98 million worth of Value Added Tax and National Insurance Contributions.

The allegations relate to the provision of payroll and associated administrative services in respect of the supply of tens of thousands of temporary workers to a range of recruitment agencies, well-known high street retailers and other market-leading brands.

The charges are denied and the case has been sent for trial to the Southwark Crown Court. David’s client was the Chief Financial Officer of the payroll company and will appear in the first of the series of trials. The trial is estimated to last 6 months.

David Walbank KC specialises in defending individuals charged with white collar crime. He is a regular contributor to New Law Journal in his Crime Brief column and, most recently, in a series of biographical articles entitled ‘Lives of the Great Advocates’: see the link here. David is also the founder of the www.crimecast.law criminal law updating website, on which he presents more than 250 video case reviews of recent criminal judgments: see the link here.