Category: Sources

The Foreign Secretary will visit Moscow towards the end of the year following an invitation from Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov, as the UK continues its robust engagement with Russia.

Boris Johnson and Sergei Lavrov last met at the UN General Assembly in September, and now is an important time for both countries to be talking about international security. As permanent members of the UN Security Council, shared concerns include reducing the risk from North Korea’s nuclear and missile programmes.

The visit will be an important opportunity to cover the Iran nuclear deal and other issues of shared interest, including regional stability in the Middle East, and containing threats to international peace. It will also enable us to discuss security co-operation ahead of next summer’s World Cup, on which the UK and Russia are constructively working together.

The UK has deep differences with Russia, in particular over Syria and Ukraine, including the Russian Government’s illegal annexation of Crimea. That’s why we cannot return to ‘business as usual’ but it is vital to continue dialogue on matters of UK national interest.

The visit comes as part of the UK’s sustained, robust engagement with the Russian government. The Prime Minister also made it clear to President Putin at the G20 that it is in both sides’ interests to continue these channels of communication.

The Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson said:

Russia is a fellow permanent member of the UN Security Council and there are global security issues we need to discuss from Iran to North Korea. Of course we will continue to challenge Russia’s approach where we disagree, whether that is Russia’s actions in Syria or its aggression towards Ukraine. My visit will provide an opportunity to talk about these issues and more, face-to-face.

Our relationship with Russia is not straightforward. That is all the more reason to be talking to Russia – to manage our differences and co-operate where possible for the security of both our nations and the international community.

I am looking forward to visiting Moscow, to engaging with the Russian government and a wider range of Russian people including civil society and the all important next generation.

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A former dentist who was struck off for dishonesty and poor clinical care and who was also bankrupt, together with a bankrupt GP from Harrow, have been disqualified from acting as directors after making false representations to a financial institution in their application for funding totalling £1.3 million.

The pair alleged they intended to use the funding for the purchase of shares in Weymouth Medical Ltd, a dental training company, with Jagdev Wasu acting as company director despite his bankruptcy order barring him from doing so legally. Following the collapse of Weymouth Medical Ltd, the bank was left with a shortfall of over £650,000.

Jagdev Wasu acted as a director of Weymouth whilst prohibited from doing so, having been declared bankrupt on 18 October 2013.

Commenting on the disqualification, Robert Clarke, Investigations Group Leader at the Insolvency Service said:

Company directors should be under no illusion that it is a serious offence for a person to act as company director whilst undischarged from bankruptcy.

In this case, the breach was exacerbated by providing false information to secure funding for the company, the failure to disclose the true position, causing substantial monetary loss.

The Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy accepted undertakings from Jagdev Wasu and Paramit Wasu that they would each not act as directors for 11 years on 16 August 2017. The disqualifications came into effect on 6 September 2017.

Notes to editors

Weymouth (CRN 09092402) was placed into Administration on 17 September 2015 with a deficiency as regards creditors of £497,036.

The company, which was incorporated on 19 June 2014, traded as a holding company for a medical centre and dental training company. Weymouth’s registered office was 97 Windsor Road, Gerrards Cross, Buckinghamshire, SL9 7NW.

Jagdev Wasu’s date of birth is November 1975. Paramit Wasu’s date of birth is March 1948.

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.

Contact Press Office

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Two men, convicted of serious sexual offences against children, have had their jail terms increased by the Court of Appeal.

Derrick Dobson, 80 and John Smith, 71 were sentenced in August at Nottingham Crown Court. Dobson was convicted on 5 counts of indecent assault and was originally given a 6 month jail sentence. Smith, pleaded guilty to committing sexual assaults including rape, and was given a 5 ½ year prison sentence.

The 2 offenders were also made the subject of a Sexual Harm Prevention Order for 10 years and will be prevented from working with vulnerable groups, including children.

The Solicitor General Robert Buckland QC MP welcomed the extension of these sentences from 6 months to 4 years 6 months for Dobson and 12 years instead of the original sentence of 5 ½ years for Smith.

Speaking after the hearing the Solicitor General said:

“I am pleased the Court of Appeal has recognised that the original sentences handed down were unduly lenient. The 2 offenders attacked their victims over a number of years and this abuse led to long-lasting devastating impacts. The increased jail terms now really reflect the severity of the offences.”

Moyes’ disqualification follows an investigation by the Insolvency Service into Glasgow-based Professional Pre Season Tours Limited, which ceased trading in April 2014.

The company had been involved in arranging pre-season tours for various football clubs, including Everton, Chelsea, Liverpool, Leeds United, Sheffield Wednesday, Nottingham Forest, Norwich City, Aberdeen, Hibernian and Celtic.

The investigation found that Moyes transferred over £300,000 from the company to himself as a ‘bonus payment’ shortly before the company stopped trading. However according to the company accounts, no money was actually transferred, although it allowed him to claim a loan account debt was settled. In reality, this money had already been withdrawn for his personal use.

Investigators established that he withdrew at least £420,400 in cash from the company while it was trading, but failed to declare the full amount.

Because the fictitious transfer resulted in a nominal asset of the company being turned into a liability, it was unable to pay its obligations to HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) in terms of PAYE and National Insurance contributions. At liquidation it owed £271,180 to creditors, of which all but £4,067 of which was to HMRC.

Commenting on the disqualification, Cheryl Lambert, Chief Investigator at the Insolvency Service, said:

This is a simple case of a director trying to avoid repaying their loans to a company and avoiding their proper tax payments. It was a cynical attempt to maintain personal wealth, with the consequence of depriving the public of tax receipts, and he abused the privileges and benefits of limited liability trading.

Kenneth Moyes also kept HMRC in the dark by not filing all returns on time, including partially paying VAT assessments at a sufficient level to avoid attracting priority attention.

Taking action against him is a warning to all directors that such behaviour will result in a very significant sanction, with a personal consequence. A limited company Is not a personal piggy bank for directors.

On 18 July 2017, the Secretary of State for Business Energy and Industrial Strategy accepted a disqualification undertaking from Kenneth Moyes. The disqualification commenced on 8 September 2017.

Notes to editors

Professional Pre Season Tours Ltd (CRO SC311860) was incorporated on 14 November 2006. Its registered office was c/o McLay, McAlister & McGibbon LLP, First Floor, 145 St Vincent Street, Glasgow, Strathclyde, G2 5JF. It traded from 15 North Claremont Street, Glasgow, G3 7NR

Professional Pre Season Tours (PPST) Ltd was placed into liquidation on 8 October 2014 with Donald McKinnon of Wylie & Bisset, 168 Bath Street, Glasgow, G2 4TP appointed sole liquidator.

Kenneth Moyes is of Glasgow and his date of birth is February 1968.

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.

The Insolvency Service investigation established that:

• In the annual accounts for PPST for the year ended 31 December 2012 Mr Moyes had an outstanding director loan due to PPST of £172,597 which was repayable by 30th September 2013.
• Mr Moyes declared remuneration, reflected in p60 returns to HMRC and PPST’s accounts, for the six years from incorporation to April 2013, totalled £90,464
• On 26 March 2014, shortly before PPST ceased trading in April 2014, a “bonus payment” of £329,936.02 was recorded (including in a pay slip) as being made to Mr Moyes. No moneys were transferred.
• Mr Moyes received at least £420,400 in cash from PPST during its trading, of which only £90,464 had been declared to HMRC for taxation purposes prior to 26 March 2014.
• The “Bonus Payment” extinguished, on paper, the director’s loan account previously shown and created a liability of PAYE & NIC to HMRC of at least £203,022.24. This tax debt remained due and outstanding at liquidation.
• PPST did not comply with its statutory obligations to HMRC resulting in £271,180 being due in relation to PAYE/NIC (accrued from 2009/10), Corporation Tax accrued from December 2012) and VAT accruing for 18 consecutive partially paid assessments from 2010, whilst non-HMRC creditors totalled £4,068.14

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.

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