Zeeshan Ashraf, 44, from Hall Green in Birmingham, defrauded several government Covid schemes to claim a total of £268,102.07, using his company, AZ Certified Accounting Limited, to claim bounce back loans from three separate banks.

Just one of the £50,000 bounce back loans was approved, however Ashraf inflated his turnover by more than four times to claim the full amount.

Additionally, Ashraf fraudulently claimed £91,174 from the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS) on behalf of clients that did not authorise him to, some were completely fictional. He attempted to claim a further £38,082, but this claim was rejected by HMRC.

The accountant also abused the Eat Out to Help Out scheme, claiming £26,928 via hospitality companies that did not exist, and on behalf of companies that were not restaurants. A further £14,651 claim was rejected.