News that tax lawyer David Mills had been sentenced to 4 years 6 months in prison came as a bit of a surprise - the prosecution had requested 4 years and I thought that was a bit tongue in cheek - but we shouldn't read too much into it. The sentence will only be confirmed once the appeal procedure has been gone through (2 separate appeals) and this moves so slowly it will certainly come up against the statute of limitations. This is what happens to 70% of crime here. White collar crime hardly ever ends in prison. One British newspaper archly suggested that this might bring down Berlusconi, which made me chuckle (him too, I expect).
I still think we have not heard enough about the British end. The way Mills washed the money was to take out a mortgage on his house (jointly owned with wife Tessa Jowell, the minister) and repay it with the ..er.. less clean stuff. Jowell, at the time a cabinet minister and now Paymaster General, if you will believe it, had to sign the appropriate forms on borrowing and repayment but claimed that it was just something her husband asked her to do for his business. Mills, and apparently this is not the first time it had happened, said to a Cabinet Minister with three University degrees 'Don't bother your pretty little head about this' and she didn't.
I'm afraid this beggars belief and really does need to be properly investigated. At the time the cabinet office said it was a matter for the Prime Minister (Blair) who simply absolved her. Not good enough for me.
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