UK govt declares Hasan Nawaz ‘deliberate tax defaulter'

LONDON: The United Kingdom (UK) government’s Revenue and Customs (HMRC) has declared Hasan Nawaz, son of PML-N President and former prime minister Nawaz Sharif, as a “deliberate tax defaulter”.

The UK government has updated the list of defaulters on its official website, which included Hasan’s name, declaring him a deliberate tax defaulter.

The UK government declared Hasan Nawaz "tax defaulter" as he failed to pay £9.4 million in taxes between April 5, 2015 and April 6, 2016.

The UK tax authority has imposed a £5.2 million penalty on the son of former prime minister, according to the same website. The period of default is from April 6, 2015 to April 5, 2016.

Nawaz was not available for comment but a legal source close to him said he had paid all the “due taxes” for the same period but the HMRC asked him for more taxes several years later —after the time bar period — and he disputed and refused to pay more taxes. “Nawaz’s bankruptcy will be sending next month, in April 2025,” said the source.

It emerged late last year that Hasan has been declared bankrupt by the London High Court in a tax and liability case of the UK government's tax and revenue department.

The official UK Gazette, which keeps the public record, had published details of the bankruptcy. It said that Hasan, a resident of Flat 17 Avenfield House, 118 Park Lane, and the company director had been declared bankrupt in the High Court Of Justice in case No 694 of 2023; filed on 25 August 2023. The bankruptcy order was issued on April 29, 2024, on a case brought by the creditors over non-payment.

The civil case was initiated by Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs (HMRC) department against Nawaz, who was represented by Kaur Maxwell.

According to the UK laws, a bankruptcy order is part of the personal insolvency process. It is issued to an individual from the court, making them bankrupt. Bankruptcy orders are only published in the London Gazette when received from The Insolvency Service.

A bankrupt cannot act as a director or be involved in any way in the management of a company until discharged from bankruptcy unless he has obtained permission from the court to continue as a director. He continues to be a director of a number of companies in the UK.

Nawaz was not available to comment. A source close to him said his legal team is looking at the case and will be responding soon.