On 9 August 2021, the Serious Fraud Office (SFO) announced their investigation into Gavin Woodhouse and all individuals and companies associated with him for suspected fraud and money laundering.
SFO Investigation | Rosenblatt’s Financial Crime Team
The SFO are currently investigating investments that were offered in care homes and hotels between 2013 and 2019.
As part of the investigation the SFO have asked all UK based investors connected with the suspected fraudulent schemes to complete a questionnaire by 30 September 2021. This questionnaire can be accessed via the SFO’s website. The information gathered from this process is hoping to assist the SFO in establishing the circumstances in which the investments were offered, identify new information and to progress their investigation more quickly.
To date the SFO’s inquiry into the businessman’s dealings had been running covertly. Mr Woodhouse raised more than £80m from amateur investors over several years to build care homes and to buy and refurbish hotels. It was revealed in June 2019 that several of these projects were incomplete many years after they were due to be operational with many investors having also not received their annual dividends as promised. In summer 2019 some of Mr Woodhouse’s creditors took him to court to request that his businesses be placed into interim administration. The firms connected with Mr Woodhouse were reported as having a multimillion-pound black hole. Mr Woodhouse subsequently lost control of several of his companies after a High Court Judge ruled that his business model appeared to be “thoroughly dishonest.”
This is a live investigation and therefore the SFO cannot provide any further comments at present. Our financial crime team however, will continue to monitor the case and provide further updates as they arise.
The SFO have also requested that anyone who believes that they have been a victim in connection with this investigation to check the agency’s website regularly for updates and information with regard support services available.
Rosenblatt can help
Rosenblatt has a wealth of experience in financial crime and is uniquely placed to support clients that are the subject of a Serious Fraud Office investigation and prosecution having being involved in high profile investigations into a global pharmaceuticals company, a multi-million-pound affordable property investment scheme, a multi-million pound pension fraud scheme and a world leading global security company.
https://www.rosenblatt-law.co.uk/services/financial-crime/
(Sources: SFO announces investigation into Gavin Woodhouse and associates – Serious Fraud Office, SFO launches investigation into Gavin Woodhouse over suspected fraud | Serious Fraud Office | The Guardian)
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