Mahee Ferdous Jalil

Mohammed Mahee Ferdous Jalil (Bengali: মুহাম্মদ মহি ফেরদৌস জলিল; born 13 April 1973) is a Bangladeshi-born British businessman, founder of Channel S, owner of Prestige Auto Group and television presenter.

Career

Jalil founded Channel S which began broadcasting in December 2004.^[1][2] He founded Prestige Auto Group, which later became Diamond Auto Group – based in Walthamstow, London.^[3] He also presents talk show Reality with Mahee which airs every Thursday at 8.30 pm on Channel S.^[4]

Controversy

Kidnapping

On 25 May 2011, Jalil was bundled into a car at gunpoint outside the offices of Channel S in Clifford Road, Walthamstow, London at 1:30 am. He was then driven to an Indian restaurant in West London where he was hooded, bound, beaten, tortured and repeatedly demanded £250,000 ransom. Jalil was eventually released by one of the kidnappers, driven to the edge of London's A406 North Circular Road and given £30 to get a taxi. Jalil made his way home, called the police, and was taken to hospital for treatment for burns and internal injuries.^{[5][6][7][8][9]}

In July 2011, Mohammed Iqbal Hussain, 44, ATN Bangla CEO Hafiz Alam Bakhsh, 39, and businessman Sadek Ali, 41, were charged with conspiracy to kidnap.^[10] Later, Abul Aktar, 38, was also charged.^[8] In February 2012, after a month-long trial at Snaresbrook Crown Court,^[11] Bakhsh, Ali and Aktar were found not guilty of conspiracy to kidnap,^[12] Hussain was found guilty of conspiracy to kidnap, blackmail and assault causing grievous bodily harm.^[11] On 15 June 2013, Hussain was sentenced to a 32-year prison term (15 years for kidnap, 10 years for grievous bodily harm and 7 years for blackmail).^[13]

Insurance fraud

On 4 August 2008, Jalil was found guilty at Croydon Crown Court of car insurance fraud over "crash-for-cash" staged accidents and sentenced to an 18-month prison term.^[14][15] He was released after serving seven months of his term and made his first public appearance at the Channel S Community Awards on 30 March 2009.^[15]

Between 2006 and 2010, Jalil accepted at least £500,000 into bank accounts under his control and laundered some of the profits of a £3 million "crash-for-cash" scam, while knowing the money had been defrauded out of insurance companies. Jalil admitted to playing a background role behind Motor Alliance, an insurance company which made at least £1.17 million during the four-year scam. On 8 July 2013, he pleaded to guilty to money laundering and admitted to possessing criminal property between 19 July 2006 and 31 October 2010 under the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 just before he was due to stand trial at Southwark Crown Court.^[11]

Between 2005 and 2008, at least 124 claims were made by individuals linked to Motor Alliance, a company run by Jalil's brother, Mohammed Samsul Haque. Haque and five other men were sentenced in October 2011 following an Metropolitan Police Service investigation called Operation Scarp. Jalil was the final person to be prosecuted under Operation Scarp.^[16][17] In August, he was ordered to pay AXA Insurance £84,000.^[18] In April 2014, he was sentenced to a three year prison term.

Personal life

Jalil lives in Little Warley, Brentwood, Essex.^[11] He is a Muslim^[7] and has performed Umrah (the second largest Islamic pilgrimage to Mecca, Saudi Arabia).^[8]

See also

• British Bangladeshi
• List of British Bangladeshis

References