A fraudster business owner who attempted to claim almost £28,000 in Covid grant funding has been sentenced for his ‘disgraceful’ breach of trust after it was discovered he had vacated the premises which he based his claims on.
Abbas Sharief, 60, of Doncaster Avenue, Withington, was convicted of three counts of fraud by false representation at Wigan Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday (March 28) after applying for three grants aimed at helping businesses during the pandemic.
The court heard that Sharief had applied for and was granted £10,000 from the Small Business Rates Grant Fund, which was to support business owners forced to close during the pandemic, in April 2020.
