The sole director of a data processing and equipment sourcing business has been disqualified for the maximum period allowed under law after falsely obtaining £145,000 in Covid support scheme funds his business was not entitled to.
Richard Oliver was the director of Birkenhead-registered Exact Data Trading Co. Ltd when it falsely secured a total of £95,000 from local authorities under the Small Business Grant Fund, introduced during the pandemic.
The 49-year-old also submitted misleading information to obtain a £50,000 Bounce Back Loan.
Oliver, of Penrith Street, Birkenhead, was disqualified for 15 years at a hearing of the High Court in London last month, a notice published by The Insolvency Service on the .gov website today revealed.
The disqualification order, which began on Wednesday 28 August, prevents him from becoming involved in the promotion, formation or management of a company, without the permission of the court.
Neil North, Chief Investigator at the Insolvency Service, said: “Richard Oliver caused his company to deliberately exploit not one but two support schemes designed to help small businesses during the early days of the Covid pandemic.
“We will not tolerate such abuse of public money which is why we sought to remove Oliver from the corporate arena for the longest period possible.
“Tackling Covid support scheme abuse is a key priority for the Insolvency Service and this outcome should send a strong warning to other directors that we will take robust action against any misconduct we find.”
Exact Data was established in September 2019 and operated from Oliver’s home address, sourcing equipment and data on behalf of other third-party companies.
The company applied to at least 21 local authorities in June and July 2020 to be falsely registered for business rates in order to receive Small Business Relief Grants.
Exact Data did not occupy or trade from any of the premises it falsely claimed to be registered at.
Oliver supplied contradictory and unsubstantiated information to councils in making the applications. Bank statements and leases signed by Oliver which were provided as supporting documentation appear to have been fraudulently produced, according to Insolvency Service analysis.
Grant payments worth a combined £95,000 were paid into Exact Data’s bank account by seven local authorities.
Oliver also secured a £50,000 Covid Bounce Back Loan for Exact Data in June 2020, which the company was not eligible to receive.
In applying for the loan, Oliver declared that turnover for Exact Data was £220,000 and that his business was trading at the time of the application.
However, no trading income was paid into Exact Data’s bank account between the end of March and start of July 2020.
Liquidators were appointed for Exact Data in December 2020.
