Author Archives: HM Government

Mr Shakoor’s disqualification follows an investigation by the Insolvency Service into the liquidation of Raptor Commerce Ltd.

Between 5 December 2005 and 31 May 2006, Mr Shakoor caused or allowed Raptor to participate in transactions which were connected with the fraudulent evasion of VAT, which Mr Shakoor either knew or should have known about.

Mr Shakoor caused Raptor to make a wrongful claim of a VAT repayment for the period ending May 2006 totalling £1,224,134.

Tony Hannon, the Official Receiver in the Public Interest Unit South, part of the Insolvency Service said:

The Insolvency Service will take firm action when we find misconduct and wrongdoing in the operation of companies by directors.

The Insolvency Service is committed to protecting the integrity and confidence in the market both by consumers and business people alike.

Mr Naeem Shakoor, is of Glasgow and his date of birth is January 1972.

Raptor Commerce Ltd (Company Reg no. 04489352) was incorporated on 18 July 2002 and ordered into compulsory liquidation on 9 September 2013.

The order was pronounced by Mr Registrar Jones and the Secretary of State was represented by Camilla Chorfi of Selborne Chambers and the defendant was not present or represented.

A disqualification order has the effect that without specific permission of a court, a person with a disqualification cannot:

• act as a director of a company

• take part, directly or indirectly, in the promotion, formation or management of a company or limited liability partnership

• be a receiver of a company’s property

Persons subject to a disqualification order are bound by a range of other restrictions.

The Insolvency Service, an executive agency sponsored by the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS), administers the insolvency regime, and aims to deliver and promote a range of investigation and enforcement activities both civil and criminal in nature, to support fair and open markets. We do this by effectively enforcing the statutory company and insolvency regimes, maintaining public confidence in those regimes and reducing the harm caused to victims of fraudulent activity and to the business community, including dealing with the disqualification of directors in corporate failures.

BEIS’ mission is to build a dynamic and competitive UK economy that works for all, in particular by creating the conditions for business success and promoting an open global economy. The Criminal Investigations and Prosecutions team contributes to this aim by taking action to deter fraud and to regulate the market. They investigate and prosecute a range of offences, primarily relating to personal or company insolvencies.

The agency also authorises and regulates the insolvency profession, assesses and pays statutory entitlement to redundancy payments when an employer cannot or will not pay employees, provides banking and investment services for bankruptcy and liquidation estate funds and advises ministers and other government departments on insolvency law and practice.

Further information about the work of the Insolvency Service, and how to complain about financial misconduct, is available.

You can also follow the Insolvency Service on:

read more

Brave humanitarian workers based in Kemble, Gloucestershire, are the unsung heroes of 2017 for the role they played in Britain’s rapid responses to three major humanitarian catastrophes this year, the Minister for International Development Alistair Burt has said.

At Britain’s aid distribution hub at Cotswold Airport in Kemble, the Minister thanked staff for their tireless work delivering life-saving UK aid in response to the devastating Caribbean hurricanes, the ongoing Rohingya crisis and to prevent a famine in Somalia this year.

The facility in Kemble is one of two major global stockpiles where the Department for International Development stores life-saving equipment and supplies for crises – and is the only one based in Britain.

This year, emergency UK aid from emergency stockpiles, such as in Kemble, has provided:

• 827 tonnes of supplies in response to hurricanes Irma and Maria in the Caribbean, including 6,000 hygiene kits, 5,050 solar lanterns, 4,710 shelter kits, 5,140 water purification cubes and 16,000 buckets;

• 10,000 shelter kits, 20,000 blankets and 10,500 sleeping mats in response to the Rohingya crisis in Bangladesh; and

• 20,000 shelter kits and peg and pole sets to prevent the humanitarian situation in Somalia deteriorating further.

Speaking at the disaster aid hub in Kemble, International Development Minister Alistair Burt said:

UK aid has saved countless lives this year by responding rapidly to disasters around the world and our aid distribution hub in Kemble is crucial to getting emergency support to those that so urgently need it.

These brave humanitarian workers are the unsung heroes of 2017.

They have played a vital role getting life-saving food, water and shelter to people struck by hurricanes in the Caribbean, innocent families driven from their homes in Burma and people starving because of the food crisis in East Africa.

The UK prides itself on not only delivering aid quickly, but also making sure our products are the best possible quality.

I am proud that we are driving innovation and the hub in Kemble is filled to the rafters with durable products that people in emergency situations can rely on in the toughest situations imaginable.

By maintaining its own supplies at Cotswold Airport, the Department for International Development (DFID) is able to fly emergency aid to people in disaster situations as quickly as possible.

The UK’s emergency response capacity has been increased this year and DFID is able to respond to six humanitarian emergencies a year, delivering life-saving supplies to 25,000 people in a disaster.

Staff are on alert 24 hours a day and are ready to respond to disasters that could strike at anytime, anywhere in the world.

Staff are busy restocking the aid distribution hub, which remains ready to respond to any emergencies and is expected to be fully stocked by Christmas Day.

Notes to Editors

1. DFID’s aid distribution hub in Kemble has been in operation for more than 8 years.

2. It currently stores solar lanterns, kitchen sets, shelter kits, water purification kits, armoured vehicles, a field hospital, a boat module, an office and life support module and part of an airfield module.

3. The site has 22,000 square foot of storage, which means DFID can respond to six crises a year. The supplies held in Kemble alone could deliver life-saving supplies to 25,000 people in a disaster situation.

4. The facility in Kemble is one of two major global stockpiles where the Department for International Development stores life-saving equipment and supplies for crises – the other stockpile is in Dubai.

read more

Yi Yang Chen was served a 10 year disqualification order at Edinburgh Sheriff Court on 23 November 2017 following an investigation by the Insolvency Service, on behalf of the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy . The disqualification commenced on 14 December 2017.

The investigation found Mr Chen had caused Golden Earl to deliberately understate its profits between 4 February 2007 and 31 May 2014 from which he gained personal benefit.

The court heard that between 4 February 2007 and 31 May 2014, Mr Chen caused Golden Earl to conceal profits totalling £653,436 on which Corporation Tax of £135,528 was owed. In the absence of declaration, HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) issued an assessment in the sum of £345,479. This was made up of £135,528 for concealed Corporation Tax, £16,994 for interest and a penalty charge of £192,957.

Between 31 May 2008 and 31 May 2014, from the concealed profits, Mr Chen received loans and advances from Golden Earl which were paid to his private bank accounts, totalling at least £615,133 giving rise to a tax liability of £155,788.

In the absence of Golden Earl making payment of £501,257, HMRC placed the company into liquidation on 9 December 2015.

Robert Clarke, Head of Company Investigation at the Insolvency Service said:

The public can be assured that where there have been abuses of public finance provisions which result in losses of this type, the Insolvency Service will investigate the conduct of the parties involved and take action to remove the privilege of limited liability trading for a lengthy period.

Golden Earl Limited, (CRO No. SC285136) went into compulsory liquidation on 9 December 2015 with a deficiency to creditors of £618,890. The company was incorporated to operate a Chinese takeaway from 13 Market Street, Mid Calder, Livingston, West Lothian, EH3 0AL.

The Secretary of State was represented by solicitor Kevin Clancy of Shepherd & Wedderburn. The action was undefended.

Mr Chen’s address is Unit 6, 30/32 Knowsley Street, Manchester, M7 8HQ.

Yi Yang Chen if of Manchester and his date of birth is April 1971.

A disqualification order has the effect that without specific permission of a court, a person with a disqualification cannot:

• act as a director of a company

• take part, directly or indirectly, in the promotion, formation or management of a company or limited liability partnership

• be a receiver of a company’s property

Disqualification undertakings are the administrative equivalent of a disqualification order but do not involve court proceedings.

Persons subject to a disqualification order are bound by a range of other restrictions. The Insolvency Service, an executive agency sponsored by the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS), administers the insolvency regime, and aims to deliver and promote a range of investigation and enforcement activities both civil and criminal in nature, to support fair and open markets. We do this by effectively enforcing the statutory company and insolvency regimes, maintaining public confidence in those regimes and reducing the harm caused to victims of fraudulent activity and to the business community, including dealing with the disqualification of directors in corporate failures.

BEIS’ mission is to build a dynamic and competitive UK economy that works for all, in particular by creating the conditions for business success and promoting an open global economy. The Criminal Investigations and Prosecutions team contributes to this aim by taking action to deter fraud and to regulate the market. They investigate and prosecute a range of offences, primarily relating to personal or company insolvencies. The agency also authorises and regulates the insolvency profession, assesses and pays statutory entitlement to redundancy payments when an employer cannot or will not pay employees, provides banking and investment services for bankruptcy and liquidation estate funds and advises ministers and other government departments on insolvency law and practice.

Further information about the work of the Insolvency Service, and how to complain about financial misconduct, is available.

You can also follow the Insolvency Service on:

read more

The Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy accepted a disqualification undertaking from Mr Alam, disqualifying him for five years from 15 December 2017.

An Insolvency Service investigation found Mr Alam caused inaccurate statutory VAT returns to be submitted to Her Majesty’s Revenue & Customs (HMRC) on behalf of AGF Cuisine Ltd. Although not formally appointed as a director of AGF Cuisine Ltd, his role in the company was that of a director.

Mr Alam’s disqualification follows collaboration between the Insolvency Service and HMRC.

An in depth HMRC investigation including a till interrogation, revealed suppression of takings and also identified sales from debit/credit card takings that had been omitted from submitted VAT returns. In total, HMRC raised assessments of £54,829 and a penalty of £26,536 to the company deeming the actions were deliberate.

At liquidation the company was stated as owing in excess of £187,000 to HMRC in relation to arrears of VAT, PAYE and National Insurance Contributions, Corporation Tax and penalties.

Commenting on the disqualification, Lawrence Zussman, Deputy Head of Investigations for the Insolvency Service said:

Much of the public service is funded by the correct amount of taxes being paid. By not declaring and paying the correct amount of taxes, the public has been deprived from receiving the services it deserves from the public sector.

The Insolvency Service will not hesitate to take action against directors so they cannot abuse limited liability provided by trading through a company.

Safiullah Alam, 45, was a Company Secretary AGF Cuisine Ltd (Company number 08042925), which was incorporated in April 2012.

Safiullah Alam, of London, date of birth August 1972, has been disqualified for a period of 5 years commencing from 15 December 2017.

A disqualification order has the effect that without specific permission of a court, a person with a disqualification cannot:

• act as a director of a company

• take part, directly or indirectly, in the promotion, formation or management of a company or limited liability partnership

• be a receiver of a company’s property

Disqualification undertakings are the administrative equivalent of a disqualification order but do not involve court proceedings.

Persons subject to a disqualification order are bound by a range of other restrictions. The Insolvency Service, an executive agency sponsored by the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS), administers the insolvency regime, and aims to deliver and promote a range of investigation and enforcement activities both civil and criminal in nature, to support fair and open markets. We do this by effectively enforcing the statutory company and insolvency regimes, maintaining public confidence in those regimes and reducing the harm caused to victims of fraudulent activity and to the business community, including dealing with the disqualification of directors in corporate failures.

BEIS’ mission is to build a dynamic and competitive UK economy that works for all, in particular by creating the conditions for business success and promoting an open global economy. The Criminal Investigations and Prosecutions team contributes to this aim by taking action to deter fraud and to regulate the market. They investigate and prosecute a range of offences, primarily relating to personal or company insolvencies. The agency also authorises and regulates the insolvency profession, assesses and pays statutory entitlement to redundancy payments when an employer cannot or will not pay employees, provides banking and investment services for bankruptcy and liquidation estate funds and advises ministers and other government departments on insolvency law and practice.

Further information about the work of the Insolvency Service, and how to complain about financial misconduct, is available.

Media enquiries for this press release – 020 7674 6910 or 020 7596 6187

You can also follow the Insolvency Service on:

read more

The Environment Agency has joined forces with Durham Constabulary in a Christmas crackdown on rural crime.

Fisheries enforcement officers supported police on patrols in the operation in Weardale on Wednesday night, 20 December.

It follows previous joint partnership operations in the north east to disrupt travelling criminals and gather intelligence about rural crime, including illegal fishing.

Also joining police and the Environment Agency was Weardale and Teesdale Mountain Rescue team and local Weardale farmers.

During the operation police used Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) technology to target vehicles suspected of being linked to crime, as well as checking vehicles in suspicious circumstances and focusing on key locations.

The operation resulted in a number of suspected lamping activities in relation to game poaching – where a light is used to hunt animals. And intelligence was passed between police and fisheries officers about suspicious activity and vehicles.

‘We always act on intelligence’

Kevin Summerson, Fisheries Enforcement Specialist for the Environment Agency in the north east, said:

This operation is another example of the close relationship that has developed over a number of years with Durham Constabulary.

We work together every day to tackle many aspects of rural, environmental and wildlife crime. It’s a co-ordinated effort to disrupt potential illegal activity, identify offenders and gather intelligence.

Illegal fishing damages fish stocks and the environment and is unfair on anglers who abide by the law and buy their rod licences – the income from which is used to improve fisheries and habitats.

We always act on intelligence we receive and I’d urge anyone with information about suspected illegal fishing to contact us.

Sergeant Simon Rogers, from Durham Constabulary, added:

We regularly work with partners such as the Environment Agency on operations to tackle rural crime. Wednesday’s operation was part of our ongoing commitment to tackle and disrupt those who choose to commit crime in rural areas.

Anyone who believes they have been a victim of crime should contact us on 101, or dial 999 in an emergency.

read more