Businessman jailed for his part in ‘breathtaking’ Edinburgh University scam

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Andrew Feinberg

White House Correspondent

A businessman has been jailed for seven years for his part in a “breathtaking” decade-long scam that defrauded the University of Edinburgh of more than £3 million.

Aasim Johar, 54, colluded with the university’s former assistant director of estates and buildings, Geoff Turnbull, to mastermind a bogus procurement scheme that operated between 2005 and 2015.

Turnbull ordered thousands of pounds of cleaning materials through Johar’s employers, Universal Solutions (International), which were not needed by the university and were rarely delivered.

Johar collected commission on the goods while Turnbull, who has since died, received gift cards, vouchers and other promotions worth a total of £112,010 for his part in the fraud.

In May, a jury at Edinburgh High Court found Johar, of Gerrards Cross, Buckinghamshire, guilty of involvement in a fraudulent scheme.

He was sentenced to seven years in prison at the same court on Monday, the Crown Office said.

Sineidin Corrins, deputy procurator fiscal at the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS), said: “This was a complex and elaborate fraud which cost the University of Edinburgh millions of pounds in misappropriated funds over a period of 10 years.

“The scale and breadth of Aasim Johar and Geoff Turnbull’s elaborate and fraudulent scheme and dishonesty during that period was breathtaking.

“Their systematic dishonesty caused enormous financial damage to a famous educational institution.”

COPFS said during the trial the jury heard that Johar managed Kent-based Universal Solution’s account with Edinburgh University when he formed a business relationship with Turnbull in 2005.

Under the plan, Turnbull regularly placed orders with Johar for quantities of cleaning products which were not required by the university, and which were rarely delivered.

Johar, who was known to Turnbull as Alan Scott, received an 8% commission on rising sales to the university.

In 2005, annual purchases for goods seemingly bought by the university came to £47,801, but by 2014-15 the yearly expenditure had climbed to £853,371, with purchases totalling £3.3 million over the period.

The court was told that Turnbull resigned in July of 2015 when the university made a number of operational changes.

The scheme then began to unravel after university officials identified suspicious transactions with Universal Solutions which had been overseen by Turnbull.

Jurors heard evidence that cleaning products at the university were, in fact, supplied by another company, whose annual budget for providing materials was £600,000.

However, by 2015, Turnbull had increased the budget for Universal Solutions to £1.2 million.

When police searched Turnbull’s home in April 2016, they found evidence of the promotions he had received through companies linked to Johar and Universal Solutions, including gift cards and vouchers for Tesco, Next, Marks & Spencer and Rocco Forte Hotels.

They also found iPads, iPhones and Apple watches linked to the scam.

Johar will now be subject to action under Proceeds of Crime legislation to recover the financial benefit he fraudulently obtained.

A University of Edinburgh spokesperson said: “The university thanks Police Scotland and the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service for their handling of this case.”