The Insolvency Service has announced that Garry Pettigrew, former director of Healthcare Environmental Services Limited, has been disqualified from acting as a company director for nine years after transferring almost £3 million of company assets to connected companies. Between October and December 2018, Pettigrew transferred assets worth £2.98 million to two companies of which he and his wife were directors. The transfers were made without the consent of Healthcare Environmental Services Limited’s bank, despite advice that consent was required. The company, which provided waste disposal services to the NHS, entered liquidation in April 2019 with debts of more than £15 million. The Court of Session disqualified Pettigrew, barring him from being involved in the promotion, formation or management of a company without court permission until 2035.

The Insolvency Service has announced that Kyle McGinness and Leanne Moynes, directors of YSK Enterprises Ltd, have each been disqualified from acting as company directors for nine years after the company imported 352,688 vapes from China that were mislabelled as medical nebulisers. The shipment was intercepted by Border Force at Harwich in 2023 and HMRC later calculated that the company owed almost £15 million in unpaid VAT and customs duty and a further £437,101 in corporation tax, before entering liquidation in 2024. The Insolvency Service stated that the disqualifications prevent McGinness and Moynes from managing, forming or promoting a company without the court’s permission.

The Insolvency Service has announced the disqualification of two directors of Scotparts UK Ltd for nine years following improper transfers of £342,544 after deciding to cease trading in October 2023. Director Hazel Lamont transferred £194,400 to her daughter and co-director, Nicola Murray, and an additional £148,144 to connected companies. These transfers occurred days after the company received £301,543 from a customer and declared insolvency. All transactions took place between 20–25 October 2023, with no payments being made to creditors. The company entered liquidation in January 2024, owing £916,899. The disqualification undertakings prevent both directors from being involved in the promotion, formation or management of any company, without the permission of the court, until May 2034.

The Insolvency Service has announced the stringent penalties imposed on Zhongqing Li, the former owner of Silver Sea takeaway in Kent, for defrauding and exploiting the Covid-19 bounce back loan (BBL) scheme. Li fraudulently obtained a £50,000 loan in June 2020 for a business that was ineligible under the scheme's terms and following his bankruptcy in June 2024; the Official Receiver uncovered the misappropriation and secured a nine-year bankruptcy restrictions undertaking.

The Insolvency Service has announced that Vincent Christopher Larkin, aged 51, has been disqualified for six years following failure to pay nearly £210,000 of tax. Larkin did not attend court and in his absence was disqualified and also ordered to pay costs of £7,355.80.

The Insolvency Service has announced a five-year disqualification for Surrey business adviser, Richard Beal, following the liquidation of his management consultancy, Larter Beal Limited, which owed £74,640 in corporation tax and €51,214 in VAT. The Secretary of State for Business and Trade accepted a disqualification undertaking from Beal, which took effect on 17 March 2026. The disqualification prevents Beal from acting as director or being involved in the promotion, formation or management of a company without the court’s permission.

The Insolvency Service has announced that Desmond Pheby was sentenced at Chester Crown Court on 5 October 2026 for managing Wok & Go Franchise UK Ltd while disqualified and using a false employment document in civil court proceedings. Pheby continued managing the noodle bar franchise company despite a 7-year director ban imposed in July 2019 following failures to maintain or provide adequate accounting records for T.P.F Ltd. He also used a false document presenting him as a £12-an-hour ‘Franchise Relationship Manager’ in proceedings involving a franchisee’s damages claim, where his role in the company was disputed. Pheby was sentenced to 12 months’ imprisonment, suspended for 2 years, and ordered to complete 200 hours’ unpaid work. He was also disqualified as a director for a further 10 years. His wife, Sharon Pheby, admitted aiding and abetting his breach of the ban. She received a 12-month community order, a 5-year director disqualification and was ordered to complete 100 hours’ unpaid work. Confiscation proceedings under the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 are ongoing.

The Insolvency Service has announced that a Birmingham company director, Faruk Chowdhury, has been sentenced at Birmingham Crown Court to 22 months' imprisonment, suspended for 2 years and ordered to complete 250 hours of unpaid work after fraudulently obtaining £37,500 under the Bounce Back Loan Scheme. Chowdhury falsely claimed that his company, Learn & Earn Ltd, had an annual turnover of £150,000 despite the company having no genuine trading activity. He subsequently transferred the funds to his personal bank accounts and used them to repay personal debts. Chowdhury had previously been disqualified from acting as a director for nine years in January 2022 as a result of his misconduct at the company. The Insolvency Service is now seeking to recover the fraudulently obtained funds under the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002.

The Insolvency Service has announced that Ishfaq Hussain, sole director of Bradford-based Reeson Homes Ltd, has been sentenced for fraudulently transferring company land before insolvency. Hussain transferred two plots of development land, valued at £250,000, to Paddington Homes Ltd without payment. Reeson Homes was later wound up following creditor action. Hussain pleaded guilty to fraudulently transferring company property and received a six month prison sentence, suspended for 12 months. Hussain was also disqualified as a director for four years and ordered to complete 180 hours’ unpaid work.

The Insolvency Service has announced that Nicholas Couch, director of Frontier Technical Services Ltd, has received a 15-month prison sentence (suspended for 20 months) and disqualified as a director for four years, after admitting fraud and falsifying accounting records. Couch submitted a false invoice claiming British Gas had completed £20,869 of gas installation work at a Kent apartment conversion and later created a fake bank statement to conceal the deception. He is required to complete 100 hours of unpaid work and pay £5,000 compensation and £2,500 costs following investigations.

The Insolvency Service has announced that Sohail Cheema has been sentenced after pleading guilty to fraud and money laundering for fraudulently obtaining £30,000 in Covid-19 Bounce Back Loans. Wolverhampton Crown Court sentenced Cheema to two years' imprisonment, suspended for two years, disqualified him from acting as a company director for 10 years, and ordered him to complete 150 hours of unpaid work and 20 days of rehabilitation activity. The Insolvency Service states that Cheema falsely claimed his company's turnover was £60,000 and applied for two £15,000 Bounce Back Loans from different banks, even though businesses could only receive one loan under the scheme. His company was not trading and the loan money was transferred to personal accounts on the day it was received. None of the funds were used for the business. The company entered liquidation in May 2021. The Insolvency Service says it is seeking to recover the fraudulently obtained funds under the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002.

The Insolvency Service has announced that Newcastle recruitment consultant Lucien Ekamba-Elombe had been sentenced for offences including Covid-19 Bounce Back Loan fraud, breaching director disqualification rules and operating a phoenix company while bankrupt. Newcastle Crown Court sentenced him to 22 months in prison, suspended for two years, disqualified him from acting as a company director for seven years and ordered him to complete 250 hours of unpaid work. The Insolvency Service said Ekamba-Elombe established Unify Group Limited in 2019 while bankrupt after failing to pay council tax, unlawfully reused a similar company name following the liquidation of his previous recruitment business and concealed his involvement through a nominee director. Investigators also found that he fraudulently obtained a £30,000 Bounce Back Loan, transferred more than £12,000 to his personal account and continued managing the company after being disqualified as a director in 2022. Between June and October 2022, he transferred more than £190,000 of company funds to himself and used the money to purchase two properties. The Insolvency Service said it is seeking recovery of the funds under the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002.