Setareh Heshmat: How she is changing mechanism of money manipulation in the UK

Setareh Heshmat, a woman who looks like any other university student in Canada, is actually engaged in money laundering, oil smuggling and other fraudulent activities that involve London, Tehran, Canada and Iraq.

Her story is not a tale of a simple conwoman but a textbook case of today’s complex financial fraud where shell companies, bogus investments, and banking scams build an empire in the open. This piece provides a look at this global enterprise and explains how the funds are laundered and why the criminals are difficult to apprehend.

The Rise of Setareh Heshmat in Financial Crime

On the surface, Setareh Heshmat can be described as a young lady studying towards her MBA at the University Canada West in Vancouver. However, research shows that her education and a luxurious lifestyle are paid by the money obtained through the laundering process, which she receives from a long-time companion Abbas Sherif Alaskari.

Abbas is a money launderer with Dominican, Iranian, and Iraqi passports, who has established a number of companies and organizations to launder the money through the fake investments, oil business, and AI technologies. Although she remains behind the scenes, Setareh Heshmat is instrumental in the laundering, transporting and legalizing of the cash that drives this empire.

How Does She Do It?

1. University Fees and Personal Expenses Funded by Laundered Money

   • Abbas transfers dirty money into Canadian bank accounts, masked as education funds or business transactions.

   • Setareh’s tuition fees, housing, and monthly allowances are paid through seemingly legitimate transactions, keeping authorities unaware of the true source of the funds.

2. Using Shell Companies to Disguise Illicit Transactions

   • London Surface Design Limited and London Heritage Stone Limited, both controlled by Abbas’s family, operate as front companies.

   • These companies appear legitimate, specializing in construction and design, but in reality, they serve as vehicles for money laundering operations.

3. Diversion of Business Funds to Personal Accounts

   • Funds from fake business deals are transferred into personal accounts, making it look like legal business earnings.

   • This method is commonly used in financial scams in the UK, where businesses serve as cover-ups for laundering operations.

Shell Companies: The Key to Hiding Money

One of the most powerful tools in the global money laundering process is the shell company—a business that exists only on paper, with no real operations.

What Makes Shell Companies So Dangerous?

hey allow criminals to move large sums of money anonymously
They are difficult to trace due to complex ownership structures
They operate in countries with weak financial regulations, making prosecution difficult

How Setareh and Abbas Use Shell Companies for Money Laundering

1. Fake Investment Schemes

   • Abbas lures investors by promising high returns in sectors like oil, gas, gold, and real estate.

   • Victims pay advance fees, believing they are securing a profitable deal.

   • Once the money is transferred, Abbas and Setareh vanish, leaving investors empty-handed.

2. Oil Smuggling & Document Falsification

   • The network transports oil from Iran to Iraq using Panamanian-registered vessels.

   • Once in Iraq, the documents are altered to show the oil as Iraqi, allowing it to be sold on the global market while bypassing international sanctions.

   • This sophisticated oil smuggling network generates millions in revenue, which is then funneled into shell companies.

3. AI and Drone Technology for Iran

   • Setareh Heshmat’s Israel connections extend to Abbas’s brother-in-law, a professor in Canada who specializes in AI and drone technology.

   • The technology developed in Canada is allegedly used for Iranian drones, which have been linked to attacks on Israel.

   • The profits from these AI contracts are then laundered through Setareh Heshmat’s Israel network.

The UK’s Growing Problem: Increasing Incidents of Money Laundering

The UK has become a global hub for money laundering, with London often referred to as the “money-laundering capital of the world.” The network involving Setareh Heshmat and Abbas Sherif AlAskari is just one of many financial scams in the UK that use fake businesses and real estate purchases to clean dirty money.

Why is the UK so Attractive to Criminals?

1. Weak Regulations on Company Ownership

   • Setting up a business in the UK takes less than 24 hours, and owners can remain anonymous.

   • Criminals hide behind layers of shell companies, making it difficult to track the true beneficiaries.

2. Luxury Real Estate Market

   • Money from illegal oil sales and fake investments is often laundered through purchases of luxury properties in London.

   • The lack of transparency in property ownership makes it easy to store illicit funds in real estate.

3. Bank Accounts & Offshore Transactions

   • Abbas Sherif AlAskari and Setareh Heshmat use Monzo and Lloyds bank accounts in the UK to move large sums undetected.

   • By structuring transactions in small amounts, they avoid triggering alerts for suspicious activity.

Exposing the Network: Who Else is Involved?

The criminal empire doesn’t stop with Abbas Sherif AlAskari and Setareh Heshmat. It extends to a web of individuals who help in laundering money and evading the law.

Meghdad Tabrizian – Married to Abbas’s sister, he has deep ties to the Iranian regime and operates shell companies in the UK for laundering illicit funds.

Ali Sharif AlAskari – Abbas Sherif AlAskari’s father, a key figure in the Islamic Dawa Party, an organization suspected of bombing the U.S. Embassy in Kuwait in 1983.

Mohsen Fallahian – A convicted murderer who has obtained fake Turkish and Italian residencies to evade justice. He plays a key role in oil smuggling operations.

The Global Consequences of Financial Crime

Setareh Heshmat’s UK associates are not just about money laundering and fraud. They have real-world consequences that affect global security:

Terrorist Financing – The laundered money funds attacks on Israel and other regions.
Destabilizing Global Oil Markets – Smuggled Iranian oil undermines international sanctions.
Corrupting Legal Systems – Fraudulent activities exploit weak regulations in the UK, Canada, and Italy.

Can They Be Stopped?

The international network of financial criminals like Setareh Heshmat, Abbas Sherif Alaskari, and Mohsen Fallahian operates in plain sight, using legal loopholes to fund illicit activities.

Authorities must take immediate action to shut down shell companies, enforce stricter banking regulations, and track suspicious transactions.

The story of Setareh Heshmat is a chilling reminder of how deeply embedded financial crime has become in our global economy. While she may appear as just another student, the reality is far more sinister—a key player in a multi-million-dollar empire of deception, smuggling, and fraud.

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