Mrs Sakine Ulas, a director of Milox Limited trading as Divan Restaurant a Turkish restaurant based in Borehamwood Hertfordshire, has been disqualified from acting as a company director for 11 years for deliberately failing to ensure that the company had properly and accurately accounted for VAT and corporation tax.
The disqualification, from 29 March, means that Mrs Ulas has given an Undertaking to the Secretary of Sate to not be a director of a company whether directly or indirectly, or be involved in the management of a company in any way for the duration of her disqualification.
An HMRC investigation revealed significant suppression of cash takings which Mrs Ulas confirmed stating that she had not recorded and declared all cash takings to HMRC totalling upto £1500 per week. Mrs Ulas further declared that she had not declared the correct takings to her accountant and she had knowingly signed off the Company’s annual accounts which understated the correct turnover.
Mrs Ulas duly received a personal penalty by HMRC for deliberate tax evasion.
At liquidation the company was stated as owing in excess of £220,000 to HMRC in relation to arrears of VAT, PAYE & National Insurance Contributions and Corporation Tax.
Commenting on the disqualification, Mark Bruce a Chief Investigator with the Insolvency Service said:
The period of this disqualification sends a clear message to other company directors that Fraud of any kind will not be tolerated.
Public services are funded by the correct amount of taxes being paid. By not declaring and paying the correct amount of taxes, Mrs Ulas has ultimately deprived the public from receiving the services they deserves. In order to protect the public, The Insolvency Service therefore will not hesitate to remove from the business environment, directors who behave in this way.