When divorce and business valuations collide
27 Aug 2026In an ongoing divorce case that’s been billed as New Jersey’s most expensive contested marriage breakdown, the wife, Laura Overdeck, is fighting to ensure she gets the business shares to which she believes she is entitled, as well as a fair financial settlement. Laura and hedge fund billionaire John Overdeck married in 2002 without signing a prenuptial agreement. Now they are embroiled […]
Ceasefire in family business bust-up
19 Aug 2026High-end London estate agent Winkworth has initiated High Court proceedings against its Chair, Simon Agace, for an alleged breach of contract after he and his wife attempted to oust the company’s Board, including his son. However, both parties have recently agreed to a temporary ceasefire of at least a month. This agreement includes restrictions on […]
Divorce case ordered to be reheard amid allegations of hidden wealth
19 Aug 2026The Court of Appeal has ordered a retrial of a high-profile divorce dispute amid allegations that the appellant’s husband failed to disclose cash assets during the first divorce proceedings. Meerna Faraj has claimed that her ex-husband, Sohail Sultan Ahmad, Chief Executive and majority shareholder of Intercontinental Investment Bank (IIB), had not disclosed cash assets held […]
POCA reforms bring new focus on hidden assets and confiscation timelines
07 Aug 2026New amendments to the Proceeds of Crime Act (POCA) 2002 came into force on 29 June 2026, introduced through Schedule 21 of the Crime & Policing Act 2026. These mark one of the most significant overhauls of confiscation proceedings in recent years. At the centre of the changes is a new statutory principal objective, requiring […]
Rural estates rival London for divorce complexity
07 Aug 2026New research into the financial complexity of divorce settlements across England and Wales has found that agricultural estates and family businesses can be harder to untangle than the property portfolios and City wealth typically associated with London divorces. The findings, compiled by Stowe Family Law using data from HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC), the Department […]
When divorce talks collapse – Time for a forensic accountant?
17 Jul 2026TV hosts Eamonn Holmes and Ruth Langsford have said they are “very sad” that their £10 million divorce negotiations have collapsed ahead of a trial in the High Court in November. A source quoted in The Sun revealed that a lengthy court battle is the last thing the couple wanted, but “they just can’t agree.” […]
“Tortuous” divorce case finally enables fair divorce award
30 Jun 2026The UK’s longest divorce battle has drawn to a close after a 23-year legal battle to find assets that the wife believed to have been hidden by her ex-husband at the time of the divorce. Varsha Gohil filed for divorce from her husband, solicitor Bhadresh Gohil, in 2002, citing adultery and unreasonable behaviour. At the […]
Trusted charity Treasurer allowed to “get around limited financial checks”
22 Jun 2026The Treasurer of a registered charity in Devon is accused of stealing £200,000 from a local charity over the course of nine years by building “long-standing relationships within the organisation.” Geraldine Coates, who runs her own bookkeeping company, is on trial for allegedly stealing the money between 2009 and 2018 while working as Treasurer of […]
Long-term abuse of trust leads to a jail term for employee
28 May 2026A manager at a firm in Lincolnshire defrauded the company for which he had worked for more than 20 years, stealing over £700,000 in what prosecutors described as “a calculated and sustained abuse of trust.” Brian Sinclair worked as a Packaging Manager at Noble Foods and was responsible for managing stock levels across the company, […]
Insider fraud risk is rife
20 May 2026According to fraud prevention service Cifas, a surprisingly large number of UK employees have sold their corporate credentials over the past year, exposing their organisation to cyber and financial crime. In its Workplace Fraud Trends report, which is based on responses from 2,000 UK employees working in companies with 1,000+ staff, 13 per cent of respondents admitted to […]
Businesses told to beware of sophisticated invoice fraud
15 May 2026Charity Today, the leading national news platform for the UK charity sector, has alerted its membership to the growing threat of invoice fraud, which can have catastrophic consequences for the charities involved. Invoice fraud occurs when criminals pose as legitimate suppliers and convince businesses to pay fake invoices or send real payments to fraudulent bank […]
Collapsed law firm being investigated for “sophisticated suspected fraud”
07 May 2026The Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) is investigating the collapsed PM Law Group, consisting of 11 companies and 25 offices across the UK, over the “improper removal and misuse” of £39.5 million of client funds. Sheffield-based PM Law, which specialised in personal injury, wills and conveyancing, closed without warning on 2 February this year, not even […]
Bounce Back Loan fraud used to fund lavish lifestyle
30 Apr 2026An investigation by the National Crime Agency (NCA) found that a family obtained £150,000 through fraudulent Bounce Back Loan (BBL) applications, using the money to fund house renovations, credit card debt and school fees. Kashid Rashid, his wife, Noreen Malik, his nephew, Rehaan Mohammed and his brother, Rizwan Haider, ran several businesses. However, none of […]
Businessman jailed for multiple Covid loan frauds
24 Apr 2026A Manchester businessman has been sentenced to jail for two years and four months after admitting he claimed £150,000 in Covid Bounce Back loans (BBLs) to which he was not entitled and for acting as a Director while disqualified. Matloob Hussain was the director of Dynasty Group Ltd, a wholesaler of clothes and footwear, and […]
Businessman jailed for multiple Covid loan frauds
21 Apr 2026A Manchester businessman has been sentenced to jail for two years and four months after admitting he claimed £150,000 in Covid Bounce Back loans (BBLs) to which he was not entitled and for acting as a Director while disqualified. Matloob Hussain was the director of Dynasty Group Ltd, a wholesaler of clothes and footwear, and […]
Lack of robust financial oversight cost GP surgery almost £500,000
15 Apr 2026A former Finance Manager at a GP surgery in Bracknell, Berkshire, was sentenced to three years and two months in jail on 2 April after pleading guilty to multiple counts of fraud and concealing criminal property. Lauren Millington worked for the GP practice between February 2021 and November 2024. During that time, she fraudulently diverted […]
Former Police Federation Treasurer jailed for expenses fraud
09 Apr 2026An ex-police officer and former West Mercia Police Federation Treasurer has been found guilty of 15 counts of fraud by abuse of position between 2010 and 2018, perpetrated through more than 100 fraudulent expense claims. An investigation found that Jamie Harrison had been dipping into the Federation’s petty cash, over which he had sole control, […]
Husband says he was unaware of wife’s fraudulent activity in their company
01 Apr 2026A Lincolnshire businessman who co-directed an engineering company with his wife, which worked with Innovate UK, has denied any knowledge of fraudulent activity, despite his wife having pleaded guilty to her part in the fraud. Andrew Rendell-Read is alleged to have extracted a profit of £260,000 from the Government agency in a joint fraud operated […]
Government launches revised Fraud Strategy
25 Mar 2026In a bid to combat the growing scale of fraud in the UK, the Government has launched its Fraud Strategy 2026 to 2029: Disrupting Crime, Supporting Economic Resilience and Delivering Justice. The strategy explains how the UK will disrupt methods used by criminals, improve support for victims and strengthen protection for the public and businesses. It […]
Safe Hands executives deny fraud charges
16 Mar 2026Two former executives of the collapsed funeral firm, Safe Hands Plan Ltd, pleaded not guilty on 5 March at Southwark Crown Court to conspiracy to defraud and fraud by false representation. Richard Wells and Neil Debenham are accused of defrauding the Safe Hands business between 2019 and 2021, allegedly enriching themselves using money that customers […]
Case highlights lack of Police interest in pursuing fraud cases
10 Mar 2026More than £200,000 was lost and 210 laptops were reportedly stolen from Coventry Council in two fraud cases uncovered in 2022. The thefts were carried out by a council employee and continued for several months before being detected. In July 2025, the individual was dismissed and received a suspended prison sentence. Speaking at a meeting […]
Care home worker jailed for fraud by abuse of position
06 Mar 2026A former finance administrator at a care home in Uttoxeter has been jailed for two and a half years for fraudulently paying herself more than £200,000 between 2018 and 2024. Elizabeth Henderson stole £212,228 from the home in what the police described as “a calculated and complex web of deceit.” She had been siphoning off […]
Peter Murrell indictment raises questions over long-term financial controls
26 Feb 2026Peter Murrell, the former Chief Executive of the Scottish National Party (SNP), has been indicted on allegations that he embezzled £459,000 from party funds between August 2010 and January 2023. According to the indictment, reported by BBC News, Mr Murrell is accused of using party funds to purchase items for his own personal use or […]
Checks could have prevented £550,000 payroll fraud
18 Feb 2026An employee at a Scottish agricultural firm has admitted stealing £550,000 after submitting false payroll records for workers who did not exist. Viktorija Lukjanova, who worked for East Lothian Produce, a family-owned vegetable processing, packing and marketing business, was responsible for managing agency workers and processing the timesheets used to authorise their pay, including for a large number of foreign workers. Over a three-year […]
Death of a director and the impact on business valuations
10 Feb 2026Recent scrutiny of Inheritance Tax (IHT) reforms has highlighted an issue that many business owners overlook, namely the impact that the death of a key director or founder can have on a company’s valuation. Where a business is heavily reliant on a key individual, their absence may affect revenue stability, supplier relationships, customer confidence and […]