Jailed tax fraudster Mohammed Suleman Khan (pictured) hid his wealth in the UK while building an estate in Pakistan modelled on Buckingham Palace
These are the first pictures of the sprawling estate in Pakistan, based on designs of Buckingham Palace, belonging to the UK fraudster dubbed ‘The General’.
Birmingham-based Mohammed Suleman Khan was jailed in April 2014 for four years over a tax fraud of £450,000 – and now the site lies abandoned.
He was sentenced to a further ten years in 2016 for refusing to pay back £2.2million.
Along with his brother and entourage, he has been ordered to pay back £13million gained from a mortgage scam or face more jail time.
The businessman avoided paying tax and national insurance for a decade.
Two of his brothers, a sister-in-law and two other associates were also jailed after using forged financial documents to obtain mortgages for properties they then rented, allowing them to earn huge amounts of money.
More than 4,000 miles away in the Pakistani town of Ghorgushti, 50 miles from the capital Islamabad, Khan’s ‘palace’ lies empty.
The two-acre site houses a vast mansion replete with imposing turrets and formidable walls.
According to locals in the town, known as ‘mini London’ because of its strong links to the UK, Khan allegedly bought the site eight years ago.
But since he was jailed the compound has sat empty and unfinished – surrounded by armed guards.
Khan reportedly purchased the plot of land in the Pakistani town of Ghorgushti for £2.3million more than eight years ago
His plans for the site included 30 to 40 bedrooms, a cinema, swimming pool and servants’ quarters
Now it lies empty, only half built, and surrounded by armed guards day and night – while Khan serves jail time in the UK
British police discovered the building when they uncovered blueprints among Khan’s possessions.
The plans reportedly showed a cinema, library, servants’ quarters, and private security accommodation.
It was estimated the construction would have cost £2.3million, although there was no official record of ownership.
One neighbor said: ‘If you try to get into or jump from the wall they will shoot you, they often do aerial firing at night too.’
The compound’s front gate has been sealed with wooden panels while minaret security towers stand at each corner.
There is no official record of ownership for the site, which British police discovered the existence of when they found blueprints
At each corner of the compound is a minaret guard tower – which are commonplace in large properties in Pakistan
Much of the site lies incomplete, including an extensive front law (pictured)
Neighbors estimated there are around 30 to 40 rooms inside with unfinished lawns and a swimming pool in the backyard.
Villagers claimed Khan got approval from local government to name the palace and surrounding area after himself.
A sign with ‘Suleman Abad’ in Urdu lies on the unfinished lawn of the huge compound.
Abad means a place or locality, so it is also thought local government approved the outskirts of his property to be named after him.
In Birmingham. Khan earned himself the moniker ‘the General’. But in Ghorgushti Khan is known locally as ‘the Don’.
One villager, who asked not to be named, said: ‘The Don used to come here off and on.
Khan is well known in the town, which has been dubbed ‘mini London’ for its strong links to the UK
Scaffolding lies abandoned on the vast estate. Khan’s finances were cut off in the wake of his arrest by UK police, causing construction to grind to a halt
‘Even children of the village were calling him ‘Don’ and know this huge palace as Don’s house’.
Villagers said when Khan visited he would arrive in a 4X4 with tinted windows, followed by armed guards.
Another local resident added: ‘He always helped people in the village.
Now following an investigation by the Royal Asset Recovery Team, a court has ordered one of his brothers, Shokut Zuman, and two of his entourage, Arshid Khan and Mohammed Mughal, to pay back £13m.
Birmingham Crown Court heard the gang – which also included Khan’s brother Shahalam Khan and Zuman’s wife Samiah Hanna – built up a valuable property portfolio by ‘taking advantage of a buoyant property market’ between 2003 and 2010.
They made false declarations to obtain mortgages that they otherwise would have been refused.
Khan built himself a vast estate in Pakistan, left, inspired by Buckingham Palace, right
Khan’s brother Shokut Zuman has been ordered to pay back money gained from a mortgage scam or face more time behind bars
Shahalam Khan, 47, received a five-year term after also being convicted of benefit fraud while Zuman, 43, received a four-and-half-year sentence and Hanna, 46, received a two-year suspended sentence.
Arshid Khan, 47, was jailed for five years while Mughal, 67, was jailed for four and a half years.
The gang used forged financial documents to obtain mortgages on 21 properties in the Bournville, Selly Oak and Moseley areas.
The houses were renovated then rented, mainly to students, allowing the gang to earn huge amounts in rent.
At a Proceeds of Crime Act hearing at Birmingham Crown Court on January 4, Arshid Khan was ordered to repay £8,010,881 within three months or face a further 10 years in jail.
Mohammed Mughal, 67, (left) was ordered to hand over £1,385,775 within three months or face an extra seven years in prison. Shahalam Khan, 47, (right) received a five-year term after also being convicted of benefit fraud
Mohammed Suleman Khan’s brother Zuman was told to repay £4,058,852 within three months or face another nine years behind bars while Mughal, 67, was ordered to hand over £1,385,775 within three months or face an extra seven years in prison.
Detective Inspector Jonathan Jones, head of the Regional Asset Recovery Team, said: ‘The trio were ordered to pay back more than £13million.
‘This represents one of the team’s best ever confiscation results and the conclusion of almost seven years hard work.
‘Whilst a significant element of this represents hidden assets, we still expect to enforce the sale of a large number of properties restrained in the UK and raise around £4.5 million.
‘Additionally, lengthy sentences were imposed on Khan, Zuman and Mughal, which will further persuade them to pay up any hidden assets.
‘This has been a hard-fought Operation which has ended with a spectacular result.’