A Leicestershire police officer lied about his crypto investments, causing his indefinite ban from serving in the Police Force.
Osama Hussain, a Leicestershire police officer, has been banned from serving in the police force because he failed to disclose details about his crypto investments. The decision, which came from a judicial panel, comes only a year after Hussain joined the force.
Police Officer Lies About His Crypto Investments
The Leicestershire Police Force mandates all recruits to fill out pre-employment forms. Potential staff must have the “highest levels of honesty and integrity” while filling out these forms. The applicant must indicate their financial background and liability to financial inducement when filling out the financial vetting forms. The individual’s clearance can be revoked if found untruthful after being accepted into the Police Force.
According to investigative facts about Hussain, he lied about his expertise in the financial market while filling out the pre-employment form in November 2022. He falsely classified himself as an “inexperienced” investor who invested only £150 (worth $192.5). In the real sense, the former police officer was transferring thousands of pounds between his bank account and an unidentified account labelled as “Person A.”
Hussain’s financial position was spotted by the Force only after his bank account got blocked, and he requested that his salary be paid into another bank account.
Although the former police officer expressed remorse for initially withholding details about his financial background, the misconduct panel saw him no longer fit for police service. Chief Constable Rob Nixon, who oversaw the case, said:
“His conduct was fundamentally dishonest, demonstrated a serious lack of integrity, was continued, and would seriously undermine public confidence in policing.”
At the same time, Hussain’s case serves as a warning to other potential and existing police officers who may have similar intent of concealing their financial backgrounds.
Is Leicestershire Against Crypto?
To be clear, Hussain’s dismissal from the Police Force does not indicate that Leicestershire is against cryptocurrencies. While being against the use of crypto for illicit activities, the non-metropolitan English county follows financial laws governing the entire United Kingdom.
The UK has shown itself to be a crypto-friendly country. In June 2023, a report confirmed that crypto investors in the UK had doubled in just a year. Another report showed that the government’s financial agency is working towards establishing clear regulatory guidelines for digital assets.
