
Property conman scammed bank and government to buy £138k home
Raza Hussain admitted forming a fraudulent scheme to obtain funds. The Crown plans lodge proceeds of crime action.
A property conman scammed the Scottish Government into handing him nearly £50,000 and duped a bank into giving him another £82,800.
Raza Hussain used false documents to con the bank and Government into handing him money to buy a £138,000 house in Perth's Glengarry Road.
The 31-year-old appeared in the dock at Perth Sheriff Court on Monday and admitted obtaining a total of £131,100 by fraud.
Hussain, from Fairies Road, Perth, admitted forming a fraudulent scheme to obtain funds by applying for a 'Shared Equity Loan' from the Scottish Government.
He admitted obtaining that cash and a further loan from the Swindon-based Nationwide Building Society as he carried out the fraud between 1 July and 26 September 2019.
He admitted forging and uttering bank statements, providing false information about his income, and making false pretences about his personal circumstances to both organisations.
Join the Daily Record WhatsApp community!
Get the latest news sent straight to your messages by joining our WhatsApp community today.
You'll receive daily updates on breaking news as well as the top headlines across Scotland.
No one will be able to see who is signed up and no one can send messages except the Daily Record team.
All you have to do is click here if you're on mobile, select 'Join Community' and you're in!
If you're on a desktop, simply scan the QR code above with your phone and click 'Join Community'.
We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like.
To leave our community click on the name at the top of your screen and choose 'exit group'.
If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.
Hussain admitted obtaining a loan of £48,300 from the Scottish Government and a loan of £82,800 from the Nationwide Building Society by fraud. He admitted using fraudulently obtained funds to buy 37 Glengarry Road.
The Crown accepted his not guilty pleas to further charges of conning the Bank of Scotland into handing him £72,750 to purchase 37 School Road in Aberdeen, and duping Santander Bank into giving him £101,600 to buy 29 Glenlochay Road in Perth.
Fiscal depute Emma Farmer said full details of the scam would be given to the court at a later date and she confirmed that the Crown would be lodging a proceeds of crime action against Hussain.
Sheriff William Wood deferred sentence for reports, granted Hussain bail, and said: "Because of the nature of the case it is important for the court to have a proper narrative of the facts."
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


The Herald Scotland
38 minutes ago
- The Herald Scotland
Inquiry demand over 'scandal' of 100s of jobs lost in ferry fiasco
A rejected proposal to create a Clyde shipbuilding revolution, save state-controlled Scots shipyard firm Ferguson Marine and help solve the nation's ferry crisis fronted by a Scots entrepreneur involves the creation of a fleet of 50 catamarans as part of an £800 million scheme - a fraction of the cost of those currently being built. The proposal works out at £16m per catamaran while the cost of the Scottish Government's 13 is at around £70m to date. Anger has erupted as an analysis of warnings by the state-owned ferry operator CalMac over potential and actual disruptions to passengers using two ferries on one of Scotland's busiest lifeline routes through technical faults and the ability to operate in adverse weather surrounded one of the two massively over-budget and wildly delayed ferry fiasco vessels - MV Glen Sannox. Users have told The Herald how of the two ferries operating from Troon to Arran it is the second emergency catamaran, MV Alfred - chartered for nearly two years from Pentland Ferries - that has become the 'reliable workhorse' despite being six years older than Glen Sannox which finally started taking passengers in January. Stuart Ballantyne with one of his catamaran designsAt the start of the month, the catamaran was chartered for a further five months to help cope with the continuing island ferry crisis at a public cost of £22m - that's £8m more than it cost to buy. It is believed that Alfred was modelled on designs by Stuart Ballantyne, a Scottish naval architect and chairman of Australian marine consulting firm Sea Transport Solutions who it has emerged began proposing the catamaran plan to the Scottish Government in 2008. That's seven years before state-owned ferry owner and procurer Caledonian Maritime Assets Limited (CMAL) signed off on the disastrous £97m ferry contract to build two ferries at the Inverclyde shipyard firm Ferguson Marine owned then by the Scots tycoon and entrepreneur Jim McColl after it got ministerial approval. The Glen Sannox and Glen Rosa ferries were due to start taking passengers in the first half of 2018 with both eventually to serve Arran but have run seven years or more late with costs expected rise more than five fold the original £97m contract. In the midst of the delays and soaring costs, Ferguson Marine under the control of Mr McColl fell into administration and was nationalised at the end of 2019 with CMAL and the yard's management blaming each other. CMAL has since stuck with single hull ferries in designs for a new fleet of 11 vessels, with nearly £400m of contracts going abroad. It has denied it has been anti-catamaran. Read more: Now a group of experts has joined with Mr Ballantyne and local campaigners to raise concerns about the procurement of ferries in Scotland and said there should be a public inquiry into what is considered to be a "scandal". Among the group is Professor Alf Baird, a former director of the Maritime Research Group at Napier University who has been non-plussed by Scotland's failure to grasp the nettle of the catamaran project and shipping expert and consultant Roy Pedersen, who were both part of a high powered Scottish Government-formed advisory group over the ongoing ferry fiasco which was wound up in 2022 having not met since October, 2019. Some believe it is because ministers did not like the sound of dissenting voices. Alf Baird (Image: NQ) In a 2023 dossier from one ferry user group titled "CMAL's history of obstructing medium-speed catamaran" it detailed how Dr Baird had further presented the catamaran opportunity to the expert group in 2017 but there was resistance. Ten years ago leading academic Prof Neil Kay resigned from the advisory body months after it was created and accused the organisation of sidelining the interests of passengers. Now the group that also includes activists for the Campaign to Save Inchgreen Dry Dock which is fighting to save Scottish shipbuilding said the inquiry is needed in the wake of resistance to the catamaran project and the abolition of the expert advisory group. "Dismissing ferry advisers recruited specifically for their expert knowledge of the Scottish ferry services was seen by many as a deliberate ploy on the part of Transport Scotland to avoid scrutiny of CMAL's management and procurement failures," they said. This led to "over-specified" and overpriced major vessels and an "apparent inherent bias against a proven, more efficient and reliable catamaran option that would have greatly reduced capital and operating costs". They said: " If catamarans are not suited to our island routes as has been claimed, how can the Alfred be operating so successful..." A response from Transport Scotland's ferries infrastructure and finance division when asked about the catamaran project said that "any design solutions and procurement of new vessels by CMAL would be a decision for that authority and would need to be undertaken in line with applicable legislation and process." It said: " all proposals which may benefit Scotland's ferry network. This includes all appropriate vessel designs which can enhance or improve connections across Scotland's lifeline ferry network." The group said that this had "waved away any responsibility for the runaway costs, waste, abysmal performance and general havoc created by CMAL's design and procurement decisions". They went on: "This is surely a dereliction on the part of Transport Scotland of the duty to safeguard the public purse and the well being of the communities involved, otherwise what are they being paid for? "Dr Stuart Ballantyne's catamaran designs and plans were to build the new Scottish ferry fleet at Ferguson Marine - securing hundreds of jobs - Inchgreen and Govan dry docks. The 20-year plan that was given to current deputy first minister Kate Forbes in June 2022 could provide hundreds of skilled jobs and economic benefits for our Clyde communities and Scotland. The group said: "Instead, recent orders and taxpayers' money have gone to foreign shipyards for more over-specified vessels when cheaper to purchase and operate, home built catamaran designs are on the table. " They said responses to them "laid bare the total mismanagement of Scottish ferry services that continues to be a burden on the Scottish taxpayer. "It seems clear that CMAL is not fit for purpose and that the Scottish Government is not facing up to this long standing problem. There needs to be an independent public inquiry to get to the truth. Our island communities deserve much better. "It is time to make Clyde shipbuilding great again." It was envisaged that the major catamaran project would be based at nationalised Ferguson Marine, Inchgreen dry dock in Inverclyde and Govan dry dock. The Govan dry dock dates back to the 19th century, and has been out of action for more than 40 years but there are hopes that it can be brought back into use. Govan Drydock has said it wants to return the A listed dry dock to a fully operational ship repair and maintenance facility. The consortium headed by Mr Ballantyne said the plan will require a skilled workforce of around 1200 with hundreds more required in the supply chain. They say that the annual operating cost of catamarans is around half that of current CMAL monohull vessels. And they say that means that operating subsidies will be expected to be slashed as more catamarans begin to enter service. Mr Ballantyne, who over a decade ago received an honorary degree from Strathclyde University for services to the global maritime industry, says he believes that Scotland has the skills and infrastructure to establish a commercial shipyard which could be used to produce ferries not just for Scotland but for the export market. He said: "It is logical for a Scottish ferry company to logically support a Scottish shipbuilder for all the obvious reasons of local and national prosperity, skills training of youth, tackling youth crime and drug use. "I would suggest it is prudent to carry out a close investigation of CMAL decision makers... "The Scottish taxpayer is paying well above the odds over what can be produced locally." Four years ago the Scottish Government-owned owner of the ferry fleet demanded a foreign firm pay up to £100,000 to gain UK maritime approval before purchasing a ferry for just £9m - and the insistence led to the deal collapsing. That is £2m less than the current cost so far of repairs to 32-year-old MV Caledonian Isles which is out of action indefinitely after being sidelined for 17 months. Pentland Ferries' emergency ferry for CalMac MV Alfred has been a reliable feature on the Arran ferry run (Image: Newsquest) Discussions about acquiring the Indonesia-built vessel, which was proposed by the Mull and Iona Ferry Committee came before what was described at the time as a 'summer of chaos' across Scotland's ageing ferry network. It was claimed that CMAL made an "incredible" move to have the overseas owners fork out for the official approvals for any modifications to make it suitable for Scottish waters, which were estimated to have cost no more than £100,000. Committee chairman Joe Reade said: "I would agree that CMAL and CalMac are averse to anything novel. All their vessels - even the newest ones are in many respects just modern interpretations of a very old design type, with ancient operating practices embedded into them. So we don't have lock-on linkspans, as have been used elsewhere for generations (thus removing the need for rope-handling, and crew to do it). "It only adds to the cost of the ship, the size of the superstructure and the number of crew. "More efficient crewing is not just a feature of catamarans - it's a feature of any inshore ferry that has been designed to commercial incentives. Neither CalMac nor CMAL have any incentive to build or operate efficiently. It does not matter if they operate efficiently or productively, because whatever the cost, we the taxpayer pick it up. "The simple reason why Pentland Ferries chose a catamaran design was because as a commercial enterprise, they have to compete to survive. They are incentivised to make cost-effective buying and operating decisions. CalMac and CMAL have no such incentives, and so our hugely expensive, profligate and shamingly wasteful ferry system continues. "The more expensive ferries are to buy, and the more costly it is to operate, the more pressure there will be to increase fares, and the more difficult it will be to maintain or improve services. The ferry system is in danger of becoming unaffordable if costs continue to spiral. "This matters to us not just as taxpayers, but as islanders too." A spokesperson for CMAL said: "CMAL is not anti-catamaran; but what often goes unreported is that in geographies similar to Scotland, with comparable weather and sea conditions, medium speed (below 20 knots) catamarans are not a common choice for passenger / commercial ferry services. "An important factor in vessel choice is compatibility with specific routes, as well as flexibility to meet vessel redeployment needs across the network. We will only ever order the vessels best suited to the routes and communities they are intended to serve.' A Transport Scotland spokesperson said: "Assessment of new vessel options for routes across our networks is led by CMAL, Transport Scotland and the relevant operator. "As part of the design process CMAL appoint naval architects and technical consultants to consider and advise on vessel designs and route specific issues. Various hull forms (including catamaran designs), propulsion options, fuel types, and onboard arrangements are considered and assessed as part of the design process. Engagement with communities, businesses and representative groups is essential, and it is maintained throughout the process.'

The National
2 hours ago
- The National
Is Scotland's foreign direct investment success actually a good thing?
It comes after data published by accounting giant EY last week showed that Scotland had been the top destination for foreign direct investment (FDI) in the UK outside of London for a decade. EY reported that Scotland was bucking international trends by seeing an increase in its share of FDI projects in the UK against a 'backdrop of a marked decline in project numbers' across Europe. In 2024, the country attracted 135 FDI projects, the second highest ever recorded after 2023's 142. That represented 15.8% of the UK projects targeted for FDI, up from 14.4% in 2023 and above its decade average of 11.5%. Deputy First Minister and Economy Secretary Kate Forbes (Image: Colin Mearns) Deputy First Minister Kate Forbes, who also serves as Economy Secretary, called the figures 'an incredible endorsement of Scotland's proposition as a destination for global investment'. However, Craig Dalzell, the head of policy and research at Common Weal, urged caution, saying that Scotland was a 'massive outlier' internationally for the wrong reasons. 'Essentially, every investment demands a return on investment. So if foreign companies are investing in Scotland, then the profits that result from those investments go overseas,' he said. 'That has a direct impact on the amount of wealth that leaves Scotland. 'The level of profit extraction in Scotland as a proportion of our size as a percentage of GDP is higher than the average of West African countries. It's higher than the collection of the poorest and most indebted nations on the planet. READ MORE: Lesley Riddoch: Highlanders are rallying against Scotland's energy land grab 'It's like we have this wealthy country, but we're treating it as if we're a completely undeveloped company, utterly reliant on other people coming in to develop it for us. It's just bizarre.' Last year, Common Weal published a paper looking at FDI projects titled 'Profit extraction: How foreign ownership drains Scotland's wealth'. It compared Scotland's GDP (gross domestic product) and its GNI (gross national income) and found that, in 2021, £36.5 billion was extracted from Scotland – largely in the form of profits and dividends to foreign companies and shareholders – while £26.4bn flowed into Scotland – largely as foreign investment income: a net outwards flow of £10.1bn. The Scottish Government does not routinely publish GNI figures, and has not done so since the 2021 figures were published. Dalzell said this meant it was 'impossible to know' the true impact of FDI projects on Scotland. He went on: 'But our paper found that more than a quarter of a trillion pounds has left Scotland through foreign profit extraction since the start of devolution. 'If that had been domestic companies investing in Scotland, that wealth would have stayed in Scotland and recirculated around Scotland.' Norway and the UK's different approaches to oil and gas are worth examining, Craig Dalzell saidDalzell argued that Scotland was heading towards a repeat of the same mistakes of the past in allowing vast sums of wealth to be extracted from the country by private enterprise. 'If you look at the level of profit extraction as a proportion of the size of the wealth of a country, GDP per capita of a country, there's a very clear correlation: richer countries are more able to become profit importers rather than profit exporters,' he said. 'The rich countries tend to invest elsewhere and then they pull the profits in. Scotland is a massive outlier in this. 'One of the reasons that Denmark is a profit-importing country is because it has several public energy companies and they're investing overseas. The Danish state is investing in Scotland. Why not the other way around? 'Where Scotland lacks capital for investment, you can do it in a way that doesn't mean selling off your economy. Look at the way that Norway developed its oil fields, for instance. READ MORE: Assa Samake-Roman: We need to look at where our money vanishes to 'Britain sold off its oil fields and allowed the companies to come in and drill the oil and take the profits. Norway hired the companies to build the rigs but kept ownership of them. 'We're seeing the same thing happening with renewables. We're allowing companies to come in, put up the wind turbines, own them, and take the profits.' Responding to Dalzell's concerns, Deputy First Minister Forbes said the Government was 'focused on ensuring that foreign direct investment projects create jobs, bring benefits to towns and cities throughout Scotland and grow the economy'. 'Exciting projects this year including green aircraft engine developer ZeroAvia and ticketing hub Humanitix will bring thousands of new jobs to Scotland and enhance the country's reputation as a world-class location for foreign investment,' she added. READ MORE: Scottish economy 'to outstrip UK, France, and Germany in 2026', KPMG projects There have been proposals, such as from the SNP's Trade Union Group or the Alba Party, for the Scottish Government to take shares in energy projects north of the Border. However, these have not progressed at government level. Dalzell further called for more routine publishing of GNI statistics to give a clearer picture of Scotland's economy. In response to a Freedom of Information request in February, the Scottish Government said: 'One of the key data sources for [GNI] statistics is an extract from the FDI survey conducted by the Office for National Statistics (ONS). 'During 2024, the ONS delayed its processing of the FDI survey … and the Scottish Government has not received data for 2022 or subsequent years. 'We expect to receive data for 2022 and 2023 during 2025, and will review plans for our publication when this is received. A publication date will be pre-announced when known.'


Wales Online
5 hours ago
- Wales Online
ATOL protection - what to do if your travel company goes bust
ATOL protection - what to do if your travel company goes bust There are various measures in place to protect consumers Things can go wrong (Image: Liam McBurney/PA ) Berkshire-based travel company Great Little Escapes collapsed earlier this week, leaving thousands of holidaymakers in limbo. When a travel company goes bust, suddenly people who were looking forward to their escape abroad are left facing a confusing and stressful situation. When booking a holiday, the last thing on your mind is the possibility that your airline, hotel, or cruise company could collapse. Unfortunately, it happens - and when it does, the result can be both stressful and expensive. This is where end supplier failure comes into play. What happens when a travel company goes bust - end supplier failure Chris Payne, compliance expert at Total Travel Protection, explained: 'End supplier failure refers to the insolvency or financial collapse of a travel service provider - such as an airline, hotel, ferry operator, car hire company, or cruise line - that was supposed to deliver a part of your travel plans. If they cease trading, you may be left without the service you paid for." What to do if your travel firm goes bust The first thing you should do is check if you booked a package holiday - known as ATOL Protected. If you booked a package holiday through a UK travel company and received an ATOL certificate, you're in luck. The ATOL scheme, run by the Civil Aviation Authority, protects you if the travel company or one of its suppliers goes bust. Did it happen before travel? You should get a refund. Already abroad? ATOL will arrange for you to return home. ATOL only applies to air travel packages sold in the UK. Article continues below Did you pay by credit card? Under Section 75 of the Consumer Credit Act 1974, if you paid £100–£30,000 using a UK credit card, the card provider is jointly liable for the failure of the supplier - even if you booked through an intermediary. You can claim a full refund from your card issuer if the service isn't provided due to insolvency. Look for ABTA protection. If you booked land- or sea-based travel (e.g., coach tours, cruises, rail), and the company is an ABTA member, you may be entitled to refunds or alternative arrangements under their protection scheme. ABTA does not cover flight-only bookings. Contact the insolvency practitioner. In cases where ATOL, ABTA, or the Consumer Credit Act doesn't apply, you can contact the administrator or liquidator handling the collapsed supplier's insolvency. They may be organising limited refunds or arrangements. Article continues below What if you're already abroad? Chris said: 'If your end supplier fails while you're away, you should reach out to ATOL or ABTA if applicable. Contact the UK consulate or embassy if you're stranded with no support.' More help and advice can be found at: