Glasgow Airport: Lukas Pokorny jailed for money laundering

Lukas Pokorny, 42, was arrested by Border Force officers at the Paisley terminal as he was about to board a flight bound for Dubai on November 8 last year.

When officials searched three suitcases in his possession, they found a large quantity of cash in each, totalling more than £860,000.

Pokorny, who is from the Czech Republic, was unable to provide keys to unlock the luggage and could not say who the cases belonged to or what they contained.

The High Court in Glasgow heard he was to fly to the United Arab Emirates and transfer the money to someone else.

Officers from the Organised Crime Partnership (Scotland) charged him and he pled guilty to an offence under the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002.

Defence counsel Brian McConnachie QC told the court that Pokorny had never been involved in criminal activity anywhere before and was "ashamed" by his involvement.

He added that his client was due to get £5,000 for his part in the money laundering.

Pokorny's involvement was said to follow lockdown measures in the Czech Republic which stopped his business from operating.

It was heard he had already used up savings during the first wave of the pandemic.

Mr McConnachie told the court his client hoped to return to the Czech Republic upon his release from prison and get back to work.

Father-of-two Pokorny was visibly distressed when judge Lady Stacey gave him a one-year prison sentence, backdated to November.

She had discounted it by a third, due to his early guilty plea.

Lady Stacey told him: "You understand that this is a serious matter, that it involved a lot of money and that I have to take the view which marks that society disapproves of people who assist in money laundering.

"I take into account all that Mr McConnachie has said and that is written in the social work report.

"I accept that you were previously of good character and I accept all the points in your favour that Mr McConnachie has made."