ASSETS worth £3 million have been stripped from a VAT fraudster and will be returned to taxpayers following a court ruling.

Ronnie Decker, 46, will lose dozens of assets after the Court of Session made a recovery order stripping the businessman and members of his family of the entirety of his illegally-earned assets.

77 assets belonging to the former University of Strathclyde student have been frozen since 2011 pending the conclusion of the case.

The assets include houses, flats, land, jewellery (including cut diamonds and Rolex watches), cash, bank accounts, investment policies and a pension plan.

The Civil Recovery Unit secured the forfeiture of assets on the basis that they have been obtained by means of an extensive and complex VAT fraud.

The assets are held across various countries including Hong Kong, France, Antigua and Luxembourg.

The investigation also involved the assistance of authorities in Switzerland, Cyprus and Greece.

The CRU, and the Criminal Taxes Unit of HMRC, were able to establish that ex-boxer Decker, who is originally from Sierra Leone, was heavily involved in the VAT fraud and the subsequent laundering of the proceeds.

Those assets will now be seized and where appropriate sold, with the funds raised provided to the Scottish Government in due course.

Linda Hamilton, head of the CRU, said: "Ronnie Decker set out to illegitimately extract monies from the UK Treasury through the systematic abuse of the VAT repayments system, in order to line his and his families' pockets with funds that otherwise would have been available to the public purse.

“We take such criminality very seriously, and in this case worked hand-in-hand with HMRC's Criminal Taxes Unit to conduct a financial investigation that spanned the globe.

“We traced the movements of Decker's funds and assets across three continents to build up a picture of the true scale of his profiteering, and uncovered around £3 million in illegal assets.

"I am delighted that today we have been successful in stripping him of the assets and funds that he accrued in this way, and that the money is now where it belongs and available for use in public projects."

Gary Forbes, Head of the Criminal Taxes Unit at HMRC added: "This was a complex and lengthy investigation, culminating in the recovery of substantial assets, which is testament to the strong partnership between the Criminal Taxes Unit at HMRC and the Civil Recovery Unit."

A director of Q-Tech, Mohammed Sarfraz Sattar, also faced proceeds-of-crime action. He eventually settled out of court and paid £1.27m.

Michael Voudouri was jailed for 10 years in 2014 for his part in the VAT fraud. Voudouri, who was only jailed after he was extradited from North Cyprus, admitted laundering more than £10m through various jurisdictions.

Voudouri has also faced proceeds-of-crime actions.

His luxury home in Bridge of Allan was put on the market for £700,000 to raise cash for the Crown last year after an 11-year court battle.

Money raised from such actions - along with criminal proceeds of crime seizures - go to fund Scottish Government good causes around the country.