Fourth person charged over Versailles
A North London man is to appear with the former finance director and chief executive of collapsed trade finance company Versailles at Bow Street Magistrates Court this afternoon.
John Black, 67, of Kenerne Drive, Barnet, has been charged by the Serious Fraud Office with ‘assisting another to retain the benefit of criminal conduct’ and ‘concealing or transferring another person’s proceeds of criminal conduct’.
The SFO alleges that he helped former Versailles finance director Frederick Clough benefit from the proceeds of crime.
Black was charged at Charing Cross on Wednesday, a day after Clough and Versaille’s former chief executive Carl Cushnie, a well known business figure, were charged by the SFO with fraudulent trading.
Clough’s personal assistant, Lorraine Jones, has been charged with ‘aiding and abetting, counselling and procuring Cushnie and Clough to commit fraudulent trading’.
Cushnie denies knowledge or involvement in the alleged fraud.
The company went into receivership in February 2000 after it collapsed with debts of £100m.
The company floated on the Alternative Investment Market in 1995 and had grown to market value of £630m when its shares were suspended in December 1999 after accounting irregularities were discovered.
PricewaterhouseCoopers is acting as receiver.
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Fraud charges brought over Versailles