Authorities have recovered £1.8 million from assets linked to Lenn Mayhew-Lewis, a 71-year-old money launderer who has been on the run since March 2023. Mayhew-Lewis, whose financial activities were exposed in the Panama Papers, has been targeted under the Proceeds of Crime Act after being convicted in absentia.
The largest portion of the recovered funds came from the sale of Mayhew-Lewis’s six-bedroom home in Oxted, Surrey, which sold for £766,000. Additional assets seized and liquidated include a valuable painting by renowned artist Frank Auerbach, sold at auction in November 2024 for £620,000, and nearly 8 kilograms (around 18 pounds) of gold bars found in a Bentley registered to Mayhew-Lewis. The gold, confiscated upon his 2019 arrest, was sold for £469,000.
The National Crime Agency (NCA) described Mayhew-Lewis as a facilitator for criminals seeking to obscure the origins of illicit funds. According to the NCA, he operated a complex network of companies and bank accounts to funnel and ‘clean’ money, converting it into legitimate income streams for clients. The scheme was sophisticated enough to draw international attention after his name appeared in the Panama Papers leak, which exposed hidden financial dealings of political and business figures worldwide.
Sources close to the investigation noted that Mayhew-Lewis presented himself as a successful businessman to neighbors but maintained a low profile in his local community. When attempting to sell his Surrey residence, he reportedly used an estate agent in an uncommon manner for the area, offering various explanations for the quick sale, including a pending divorce and involvement in music production. Observers also noted unusual behavior such as playing old musical show tunes during property viewings.
Mayhew-Lewis was initially arrested in 2019 and again in 2020 but fled while on bail. Subsequently, he was sentenced to five years in prison for money laundering. He also received a nine-month additional sentence for perverting the course of justice by orchestrating a scheme that enabled criminals to avoid prosecution for speeding offenses. He is now believed to be residing in Africa.
Officials have emphasized that the assets recovered have been fully directed toward satisfying the confiscation order issued by Southwark Crown Court. Olivia Rose from the Crown Prosecution Service’s Proceeds of Crime Division stated that the recovered funds will support ongoing efforts to combat serious crime and deny criminals the benefits of their illicit gains.
The Proceeds of Crime Act has consistently yielded significant recoveries, with average annual seizures from criminal assets around £152 million over the past six years.