AN Edgware man and a Colindale woman have received prison sentences following recent investigations by Barnet Council’s Corporate Anti-Fraud Team.

These investigations exposed fraudulent benefits claimed to the value of around £50,000, and are the first to be dealt with by the council's team using the powers which are part of the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002.

Bajram Bytyqi, 41, of Edrick Walk, admitted illegally claiming more than £30,000 in benefits to which he was not entitled.

He was sentenced on September 29 to eight months imprisonment, suspended for 18 months.

The council was alerted to the fraud by the Metropolitan Police through its major operation, Operation Rize, to disrupt organised crime by searching the contents of hundreds of safety deposit boxes.

Met detectives raided three safe depositories, one in Edgware and two in central London in June 2008.

A safety deposit box kept by Bytyqi at the Edgware Safe Depository was found to contain almost £50,000 in cash which, according to the 41-year-old, was partly generated from the proceeds of a land sale in Kosovo and cash given to him by his brother.

In interview he later admitted failing to declare the cash and a bank account when claiming tax credits and housing benefits.

He pleaded guilty at Wood Green Crown Court on September 29 to two counts of making a false representation on an application form by failing to declare the cash and not declaring a bank account containing income.

Following a successful request by the corporate anti-fraud team (CAFT) for a restraint order on a portion of the cash, the judge in the case granted a confiscation order requiring Bytyqi to repay £27,482.84 to the council within 28 days.

In a second case, a Colindale woman was been sentenced to a six-month suspended prison sentence for falsely claiming housing benefits.

Janet West, of Wiggins Mead, was ordered to repay £21,541.96 after she admitted falsely claiming housing benefit and was sentenced on September 23 to the six-month suspended imprisonment and 100 hours unpaid work.

Despite claiming benefits as a council tenant the 51-year-old was found to be the joint owner of a property and to have been in paid employment for a number of years.

Financial investigators successfully secured a restraint order in relation to the property.

After being interviewed by CAFT investigators, Ms West pleaded guilty to three offences of completing false housing benefit application forms during a hearing at Hendon Magistrates Court on August 18.

Councillor Daniel Thomas, deputy leader of Barnet Council and cabinet member for resources and performance, said: “The council is now able to recover substantial sums of taxpayers' money in less time thanks to the capabilities, training and qualifications that officers in the corporate anti-fraud team now possess.

“These recent cases reinforce the message to those who are intent on cheating the system that you will be caught and that you will have to repay every penny of the money you have claimed illegally.”

Anyone with information about a fraud can call the fraud hotline on 020 8359 2007 in confidence.