FINANCIAL FRAUDSTER NEWS EXCLUSIVE: HMRC's 'Fraud on the Court' Deepens; Senior Lawyer John Wray and Officer Lucy Craig Accused of Defying District Judge Bone's Disclosure Order in Bombshell Contempt of Court Scandal
FFN INVESTIGATIVE DESK – 10 NOVEMBER 2025 LONDON – Financial Fraudster News has obtained a cache of explosive court documents and correspondence that appear to expose a willful and deliberate act of non-disclosure by senior HMRC officials, placing them in direct violation of a court order and on a path to contempt of court.
The documents, filed in the Norwich Magistrates' Court (Case Ref: 3624000XXXX), allege that Senior Lawyer John Wray and Fraud Investigator Lucy Craig have intentionally suppressed "fatal" exculpatory evidence in their high-profile £600,000 forfeiture case against entrepreneur Angelica Kinder not her real name.
The evidence in question—HMRC’s own 2021 investigation file that approved the very VAT refund they now claim is criminal—was subject to a specific disclosure order by District Judge Bone. Leaked case notes reveal HMRC’s counsel was forced to "concede" in open court that they had a duty to disclose such material.
Instead of disclosing it, HMRC served an evidence bundle on November 7, 2025, with the critical, case-destroying file conspicuously missing. This act of "willful suppression" is being called a "fraud on the court" that makes a fair hearing impossible.
The "Fatal" Evidence HMRC is Hiding
The entire case against Ms. Kinder hinges on HMRC's allegation that c.£600,000 in her accounts are the proceeds of crime. Ms. Kinder's defence, as detailed in a new witness statement (dated 8 Nov 2025), is that the funds are "demonstrably of lawful origin" and are directly linked to a £993,749 VAT refund paid to Nathan Paralegals and Company LLP (NPC) in 2021.
Critically, this exact VAT refund was the subject of a "rigorous and thorough compliance check" by HMRC's own Higher Officer, Veronica Benjamin, in 2021. Court submissions confirm this was an exhaustive investigation where Ms. Kinder's team provided all contracts and explanations. On 27 October 2021, Officer Benjamin, with the sign-off of a "senior officer," concluded the investigation and "authorised the reclaim for payment."
This 2021 investigation file is the single most important piece of evidence in the entire case. It is dispositive proof, held by HMRC, that the funds were deemed legitimate by HMRC itself. Its disclosure would, according to Ms. Kinder's legal team, be "fatal to HMRC's case" and "proves mine."
The In-Court Concession and DJ Bone's "Split" Order
The cover-up is made more egregious by what transpired in court on 12 August 2025. According to a leaked attendance note from Ms. Kinder's counsel, Abbas Lakha KC, the barrister made a specific application to DJ Bone.
Mr. Lakha "invited the Court to make an order that HMRC should disclose any and all material which might undermine their case or might assist the Respondents' case."
The note reveals that HMRC's counsel "resisted that application," suggesting no such duty existed. However, Mr. Lakha KC "pushed against that," and HMRC's counsel "eventually relented and accepted that they did have a duty" to disclose such material.
It was on this express basis that DJ Bone issued his case management Order, which specifically created a "split" timetable:
By 7 November 2025: HMRC must serve its "paginated bundles of the witness statements and exhibits."
By 16 January 2026: Ms. Kinder must serve her "responsive bundles."
The "express purpose" of this split, as noted by counsel, was to force HMRC to comply with the disclosure duty they had just conceded before Ms. Kinder had to respond.
The Willful Non-Disclosure
The 7 November 2025 deadline has now passed. FFN has seen Ms. Kinder's latest witness statement, filed in outrage, confirming that HMRC served its evidence bundles and a "Disclosure Index."
The 2021 Veronica Benjamin investigation file is nowhere to be found.
In her statement, Ms. Kinder asserts: "This is not a clerical error... This is a deliberate and willful act of suppression. HMRC knows this file exists; it is their own investigation. They are actively and consciously withholding it for the sole reason that it is fatal to their case and proves mine."
By suppressing this evidence, Ms. Kinder alleges HMRC has acted in "flagrant breach" of:
Its duty as a public body;
The specific representation its own counsel made to DJ Bone; and
The "spirit, intent, and explicit direction" of the 12 August Order.
"This willful and knowing defiance of a Court Order," her statement concludes, "amounts to a contempt of court."
Wray's "Smoking Gun" Email: The Cover-Up Exposed
Evidence of this non-disclosure being intentional comes from an email sent by Senior Lawyer John Wray himself on 31 October 2025.
In the email, seen by FFN, Wray brazenly admits he is aware of the issue, stating: "Please note HMRC reserves the right to file further evidence after 7 November in relation to the VAT refund issue."
This single line confirms Wray knew the VAT refund was a central issue and that he intended to defy the 7 November deadline for its disclosure.
Worse, Wray then threatens Ms. Kinder, revealing he is trying to re-investigate the 2021 matter rather than disclose his own department's lawful findings. He writes: "HMRC will be pursuing the material via a production order. I invite you to reconsider your position and not oppose the obtaining of the material... If you continue to oppose... I will need to... arrange a hearing... as soon as possible."
This email is the smoking gun: it shows Wray and Craig are actively concealing the outcome of the 2021 investigation while simultaneously trying to get a new court order to obtain the same material that was already provided in 2021.
"Procedurally Impossible": Case Grinds to a Halt
As a result of HMRC's actions, Ms. Kinder states her legal team is now "procedurally impossible" to comply with their 16 January 2026 deadline.
"I cannot be expected to prepare or serve a full and proper defence," Ms. Kinder states, "when the Applicant is actively and unlawfully hiding the single most important piece of evidence upon which my defence rests... HMRC is attempting to force me to respond to a false narrative while concealing its own records that prove that narrative is false."
The case is now at a crisis point. HMRC's senior lawyer and lead investigator stand accused of misleading a judge, breaching a direct concession made in court, and willfully suppressing dispositive evidence in what can only be described as a "corrupt" attempt to win a case they know to be false.
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