00:00We're here this week to work with the law enforcement authorities in Dubai.
00:10We have a common mission in combating international crime and we're here to strengthen and deepen
00:16that partnership this week.
00:17I'm particularly here to recognise the contribution of the agencies in Dubai who've helped us
00:24a lot over the years, but particularly recently this year with the deportation of one of our
00:28most wanted criminals, Geoffrey Johnson.
00:30Geoffrey Johnson was someone who'd stolen over £100 million from the UK.
00:35He'd been sentenced to jail but fled the UK.
00:39He was travelling through Dubai and one of your very diligent immigration officials noticed
00:45he was travelling on a false passport, so all the wheels went into motion, all the different
00:49parts of Dubai.
00:53Authorities came together and we were able to deport him within four days.
00:56These people steal literally hundreds of millions of pounds from the UK, so that is
01:01money that is intended for really vital public services, the public services that provide
01:07our hospitals, our schools, our roads, so it's really important that we track these
01:11guys down and bring them back to the UK and recover that money.
01:15So my message is that Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs is working really closely with
01:20the UAE authorities to make sure that nobody's beyond our reach, to make sure that the UAE
01:26is not a sanctuary for tax criminals.
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