SFO drops prosecution of biotech millionaire Sir Christopher Evans
BIOTECH millionaire Sir Christopher Evans will not be prosecuted for alleged fraud after a four-year probe into his venture capital firm Merlin Biosciences was dropped.
The Serious Fraud Office has been investigating Evans over claims from a former employee that he had paid between £1m and £2.5m into a shell company of unknown ownership.
But the SFO said yesterday it will not be bringing charges against Evans. The SFO said: “Following a detailed review of the evidence gathered in the course of a thorough investigation it has been concluded that there is insufficient evidence to provide a realistic prospect of conviction.”
Evans, who has a personal fortune estimated at £150m, has always denied the allegations.
The move draws a line under a difficult five years for the entrepreneur, who was cleared of wrongdoing in the cash-for-honours inquiry in 2007.
During its investigation, the SFO traced complex financial arrangements associated with Merlin and tracked money between Switzerland, Guernsey and Luxembourg.
Five people were interviewed as suspects and 40 people as witnesses. Evans has always denied wrongdoing.