A top tax silk has denied two charges of cheating the public revenue by falsely declaring his income in self-assessment tax forms.
Robert Venables KC appeared before Mr Justice Calver at the Royal Courts of Justice, where Southwark Crown Court was sitting, speaking only to confirm his name and enter his pleas to two counts of tax evasion.
Venables, of Old Square Tax Chambers, is charged with two counts of cheating the public revenue. He is alleged to have, between January 2013 and November 2022, dishonestly cheated HMRC of income tax by submitting self-assessment tax returns for the years 2014/15 to 2020/21 which falsely declared the amount of his income for tax purposes and deprived HMRC of revenue to which he knew HMRC was entitled.
The barrister is also alleged to have, between January 2018 and November 2022, separately from the first count, to have dishonesty cheated HMRC of income tax in respect of money he received from Citadel Ltd by submitting a self-assessment tax return in which he falsely declared the amount of his income for tax purposes and deprived HMRC of revenue to which he knew HMRC was entitled.
He denied both charges against him, after being arraigned at the start of a prepartory hearing.
Venables was called to the bar in July 1973 and took silk in 1990. A trial is expected later this year.
