A PETROL station owner, jailed for selling hundreds of thousands of litres of illegal diesel to unsuspecting motorists, has been ordered to repay £133,660 in stolen taxes.

Nawaz Jan-Virmani, 54, now faces seeing his 16 month prison sentence imposed on February last year almost doubled if he does not pay back the money within three months.

He was caught by HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) officers with 2,843 litres of illegal laundered diesel intended for agricultural or construction vehicles stored at his Shadsworth Road Service Station in June 2013.

On Tuesday, at Preston Crown Court, he was ordered to pay back the money within three months or face a further 15 months in jail.

Debbie Porter, assistant director of HMRC Fraud Investigation Service, said yesterday: “Jan-Virmani was jailed for a serious tax fraud and now he has been stripped of everything he has. He is paying the price for trading illegally.

“We are committed to creating a level playing field for all businesses and stop criminals from undermining the UK economy. HMRC is determined to recover money stolen from UK taxpayers.”

The court ruled Jan-Virmani benefited by £247,590.57 from the fraud and ordered the confiscation of his current assets worth £133,660.41.

These include property he part owns, the petrol station, a stake in another business and shares in Rolls Royce.

A HMRC investigation into his business records revealed fake invoices for 212,450 litres of fuel and no legitimate paperwork for a further 126,791 litres.

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In February 2016, Jan-Virmani was jailed for 16 months for the fuel fraud at Preston Crown Court.

The ‘laundered’ red or green diesel which has a lower fuel duty can damage car fuel pumps because of the chemical treatment needed to remove the dye from the fuel.

Ms Porter said: “Public funds are crucially important so if you suspect someone of tax fraud report it on 0800 788 887 and help us.”

A separate charge of evading £46,901 in VAT remains on Jan-Virmani’s file.

Nawaz’s brother Cllr Yusuf Jan-Virmani, the owner of the building, had to stand aside from his responsibilities on Blackburn with Darwen Council’s executive board for three months while he was investigated and cleared of any involvement in the fraud.