Claims against banks in Disney tax avoidance case could pass £1bn March 3, 2019 The total damages for banks being sued in relation to a tax scheme that purported to invest in Disney blockbusters could top £1bn, according to a lawyer acting for the claimants. HSBC and Bank of Ireland are being sued by a group of more than 700 investors in the Eclipse film financing scheme after the courts [...]
Lord Rothermere tightens grip on Mail group with Euromoney share give away March 3, 2019 Lord Rothermere is set to tighten his control over Daily Mail and General Trust (DMGT) by returning all of DMGT’s shares in business media group Euromoney to shareholders. The company said today that it would return its 49 per cent stake in Euromoney along with £200m of cash to certain DMGT shareholders. Read more: Daily [...]
Ex-Barclays boss John Varley says £322m Qatar payment ‘not conditional’ on its involvement in the bank’s fundraising February 28, 2019 The former chief executive of Barclays John Varley said the bank’s controversial £322m services agreements with Qatar were “not conditional” on the Gulf state’s participation in its financial crisis fundraising, a court heard today. Varley, who is on trial for fraud alongside former colleagues Roger Jenkins, Tom Kalaris and Richard Boath, was in court to [...]
Ex-Barclays director says controversial deal with Qatar helped it win work in the Middle East February 27, 2019 A former Barclays executive told a court today that the bank’s two controversial £322m services agreements with Qatar at the time of its £12bn financial crisis fundraisings subsequently helped it win work in the Middle East. Former Barclays director Glenn Leighton said projects he had worked on in Bahrain and Kuwait were landed with the [...]
Accountant pleads guilty to stealing £280,000 from pension scheme he administered February 27, 2019 An accountant who acted as an administrator and a trustee to pension schemes has admitted to embezzling £280,000 from a pension fund he oversaw. Roger William Bessent, 66, took the money from Focusplay Retirement Benefit Scheme by converting the transfers into loans and making official minutes listing other trustees as present at meetings they did not attend. He [...]
In for a Penny: Direct Line promotes finance chief to top job February 26, 2019 Insurer Direct Line said today it had appointed its chief financial officer Penny James to succeed Paul Geddes as chief executive with effect from 9 May. James was appointed to Direct Line’s board in November 2017 and became finance boss in March. Previous roles include director of group finance at Prudential, group chief finance officer [...]
Barclays banker says she knew nothing of £322m services deal with Qatar February 26, 2019 Evidence from a former vice-chairman of Barclays Capital was read to a London court today, revealing she was not aware of two services agreements the bank struck with Qatar in 2008. Gay Huey Evans, who is currently deputy chairman of the Financial Reporting Council, said Barclays’ former executive chairman of investment banking Roger Jenkins was [...]
Barclays and Bank of Ireland sued over film finance tax evasion scheme February 26, 2019 Barclays and Bank of Ireland are being sued as part of a £180m lawsuit brought by investors in a film finance scheme the pair were involved in. Investors in the Eclipse film financing scheme lost out after tax authorities ruled the vehicle, which purported to invest in Disney films, was actually a tax avoidance scheme. [...]
Diabetic barrister barred from court because of can of drink February 25, 2019 A diabetic barrister said today he was refused entry to court because of a can of drink. Max Schofield, a tax barrister at 3PB chambers, tweeted: “I am currently being refused entry to Milton Keynes County Court because I have a 150ml can of drink which I keep in my bag as a diabetic just [...]
Lord Tyrie says consumers must be put at heart of competition law regime February 25, 2019 The chair of the competition regulator Lord Tyrie today said consumers would be put at the heart of a new competition law regime to help fix the “erosion of trust” between the public and the authorities. Speaking in London at the launch of a set of proposed reforms, Tyrie said there is a “growing sense that [...]
