8:57 am, August 8, 2022
A car dealer with links to organised crime has forfeited properties and cash worth £1.14m following an investigation into money laundering.
Peter Grubisic is said to have used his car dealership, as well as a property development company, to launder proceeds of unlawful conduct.
The 59-year-old, from Ilkley, West Yorkshire, has a long history of criminality dating back to the 1990s.
He has previously been involved in importing and supplying drugs, money laundering, fraud, and tax evasion.
His latest case, heard at the High Court in London, came to light after an investigation by the National Crime Agency (NCA).
The court heard that Grubisic has links to serious organised criminals in the UK and overseas, including in the Netherlands and Spain.
The NCA also asserted that Grubisic’s declared income was not sufficient to fund his property purchases and luxury lifestyle, which included several business class flights to South America.
As a result, a deal was reached which sees the car dealer forfeit his property portfolio and money worth a total of £1.14m.
The settlement includes five buy-to-let properties; a luxury property in Spain; a property with a development opportunity comprising of a site for eight dwellings; and £249,241 cash held in a bank account.
Reacting to the news, Bob Burgess, head of civil recovery at the NCA said: ‘Taking the proceeds of crime off individuals such as Grubsic can have a significant impact for the local area.
‘Through this work we have sent a clear message to the community that no one is above the law, while simultaneously taking away his ability to enjoy the proceeds of crime.’
The properties forfeited are located in Avenue Road, Askern, Doncaster; Beulah Grove, Woodhouse Leeds; Fagley Road, Bradford; Kendal Bank, Woodhouse, Leeds and Holborn Street, Woodhouse, Leeds.
The settlement also includes a development site in Buckton, Bridlington and a property in Ojen, Malaga.
