Corrupt businessman jailed thanks to UK aid supported crime unit
City of London Police’s Overseas Anti-Corruption Unit successfully prosecutes case.
Gary Bolton, a businessman who sold fake bomb detectors around the world, has been jailed for seven years.
Detective Inspector Roger Cook, from the City of London Police’s Overseas Anti-Corruption Unit, said:
Gary Bolton made a fortune selling devices that were supposed to be able to detect explosives and other harmful substances but in reality were nothing more than plastic handles with aerials as antennae. In doing so he was putting people’s lives and livelihoods at serious risk, but his sole consideration was how much money he could make.
Bringing Bolton to justice is the result of a long, complex and far reaching international investigation and his seven-year prison sentence should act as a warning to others who seek to act corruptly overseas with the belief that they will go undetected.
International Development Secretary Justine Greening said:
The work of the City of London Police’s Overseas Anti-Corruption Unit, funded by the Department for International Development, is vital in helping to stamp out endemic fraud, corruption and scams and I congratulate them on this success. This sentence underlines their vital work in the fight against international corruption.
DFID supports the City of London Police’s Overseas Anti-Corruption Unit to investigate allegations of UK citizens and companies involved in overseas corruption. To date, the unit has prosecuted 28 individuals and one company and has 25 cases currently under investigation.
Find out more about how we’re supporting UK crime agencies to tackle corruption overseas.