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ater learned that Hadi Ahmad Ali had been disqualified from being a company officer for five years
Another directorial name that came up repeatedly was Ismaeel Farzanda. He told our team he had nothing to do with any mini-marts, but when we checked Companies House we found he was listed as the director of nine small businesses, based in various locations. Mr Farzanda said he was a director on paper only and had no knowledge of the day-to-day running of the businesses.
Our reporters posed as would-be illegal traders and held consultations with Mr Farzanda over the transfer of three mini-marts in Crewe, Hull and Liverpool, all of which were under his name.
He told us he would charge £600 a month for one lease, which would cost £2,000 for three months, under the condition that potential buyers kept the shop in his name.
It’s difficult to track down directors of businesses that are being misused, said Dr Matthew Jenkins, an investigator with the accounting firm Grant Thornton.
“Well-organised crime groups can set up a number of businesses and misuse them for all sorts of criminality without the involvement of the company directors,” he added.
Luke Murphy, from the charity the Institute for Public Policy Research, said the findings were “a stark reminder of the need for reform of company ownership roles” and that as important as “cracking down on individual illegal shopkeepers [was] identifying the criminal networks, the bigger crime bosses that are often behind this”.
Following the BBC investigation, the Home Office said the police and local authorities had the powers to investigate offences and take action against those who break the law. The department added that it would not routinely comment on specific operational matters but took allegations of illegal activity seriously.
The BBC asked Facebook for a response to these findings. A spokesperson said: “We have community standards that prohibit the sale of illegal goods, and we work closely with law enforcement agencies globally to investigate illegal activity and protect our communities. We encourage people to report such violations to us so the posts can be reviewed and actioned as appropriate.”
