An Insolvency Service investigation found that Mr Dhillon caused, and Ms Dhillon allowed, the companies to operate in manner which lacked probity, as a result of which a bank suffered a loss totalling £31.767m.

Mr and Ms Dhillon were directors of Dhillon hotels Limited, Liongate Hotel Limited, Crown Hotel (Amersham) Limited, which entered administration on 20 September 2012 and PHB Realisations 2013 Limited (formerly Paragon Hotel (Birmingham) Limited) and Paragon Birmingham Limited which entered administration on 21 September 2012. The companies had operated the following hotels:

• The Olde Bell Coaching Inn, High Street, Hurley-on-Thames
• The Lionsgate Hotel, Hampton Court Road, Kingston-upon-Thames
• The Crown Inn, High Street, Amersham
• The Paragon Hotel, Alcester Road, Birmingham
• with Paragon Hotel (Birmingham) Limited being a holding company

Mr and Ms Dhillon operated a group of hotels, all of which were subject to the same bank lending facility and cross guarantees. The investigation found the Dhillon’s utilised the various companies for personal expenditures which were attributed by the group accounting department to director loans, these directors being Mr and Ms Dhillon.

The lending facility was subject to strict covenants regarding the ratio of turnover to lending/interest. The bank was provided with regular management accounts which showed that the covenants were being met. These were inaccurate constructions solely for that purpose. Accounts were then filed at Companies House which were consistent with management accounts presented to the bank (in the form of year-end adjustments within the accounting system). These adjustments had the effect of obscuring personal expenditure and inflating the value of assets, thereby inverting and obscuring the true position.

In tandem with these erroneous adjustments, a large property (Paragon Hotel in Birmingham) was presented, from 2009, as being about to be sold to an unconnected third party. This sale was asserted to be subject to delays, during which time nearly £13m more was loaned against the security it was purported to provide. The truth was the supposed purchaser had entered Administration in 2009. The property was ultimately sold for £3m by the office holders in 2013.

The Insolvency Service investigation also found, and Mr and Ms Dhillon accepted, that:

• the bank was knowingly provided with management accounts which presented an inaccurate picture of the true financial and trading position of each company and the Companies together
• the accounting system used by the companies was knowingly manipulated through the use of year end adjustments to have the appearance of consistency with management accounts presented to the Bank in relation to each company and the Companies together
• the bank was falsely informed that Paragon Birmingham Limited was continuing the process of selling the Paragon Hotel at a price of circa £18m when the proposed purchaser had entered Administration on 7 December 2009 and no such sale was possible, probable or likely
• the overdraft increased from £5.5m on 24 March 2009 to £18.29m on 8 May 2012
• the bank continued to provide moneys to the Companies by way of extended overdraft facilities on the basis of the proposed sale of The Paragon Hotel
• the accounting records maintained on behalf each company were not accurate and complete
• the financial statements lodged at Companies House therefore could not be accurate

At Administration the bank was owed £48.304m with secured assets being realised/valued at £16,537m, resulting in an estimated shortfall of £31.767m

Commenting on the disqualification, Cheryl Lambert, Chief Investigator at the Insolvency Service, said:

Directors have a duty to ensure that the procedures they construct and oversee comply with the law. Directors who do not comply with this basic obligation can expect to be investigated by the Insolvency Service and enforcement action taken to remove them from the market place.

In this case, Mr Dhillon was responsible for the construction of a long term and complex web of lies, by manipulating the internal financial systems of a group of companies. Additionally, the sale of a very large asset was claimed to be occurring resulting in almost £13m of further lending being made, which were then used within their empire of companies and which allowed the Dhillons to continue to benefit from their continued operation.

In court proceedings relating to Mr Dhillon’s business affairs a judge branded him as a man who “regards truth as a merely optional extra when doing business.” Following the Insolvency Service’s investigation I can only agree with that conclusion.

Ms Dhillon took no action to prevent the long term implementation of that deceit, whilst benefiting from the continued operation of the companies and the increased funds overdraft extensions.

This activity goes to the very core and basis of the economic system, with Mr Dhillon knowingly creating a scheme to obscure his activities and the real position in relation to the company’s trading and solvency.

Taking action against Ms Dhillon is a warning to all directors to seriously consider, and ensure they perform their duties and obligations and not hide behind the corporate veil or claim ignorance of acts, whilst accepting the rewards and benefits of corporate trading.

Notes to editors

Dhillon Hotels Ltd (CRO 02368567) was incorporated on 5 April 1989. Its registered office was 118 Piccadilly, Mayfair, London, W1J 7NW and traded The Olde Bell Coaching Inn, High Street, Hurley-on-Thames.

Lionsgate Hotel (Amersham) Ltd (CRO 04173719) was incorporated on 6 March 2001. Its registered office was 118 Piccadilly, Mayfair, London, W1J 7NW and traded The Lionsgate Hotel, Hampton Court Road, Kingston-upon-Thames.

Crown Hotel (Amersham) Ltd (CRO 05195352) was incorporated on 2 August 2004. Its registered office was 118 Piccadilly, Mayfair, London, W1J 7NW and traded The Crown Inn, High Street, Amersham.

PHB Realisations 2013 Ltd (CRO 05834739) was incorporated on 1 June 2006 as Paragon Hotel Birmingham Ltd and changed its name on 17 May 2013. Its registered office was 118 Piccadilly, Mayfair, London, W1J 7NW and traded The Paragon Hotel, Alcester Road, Birmingham.

Paragon Birmingham Ltd (CRO 05880199) was incorporated on 18 July 2006. Its registered office was 118 Piccadilly, Mayfair, London, W1J 7NW. Paragon Birmingham Limited operated as holding company.

Dhillon Hotels Ltd, Lionsgate Hotel Ltd and Crown Hotel (Amersham) Ltd were placed into Administration on 20 September 2012.

PHB Realisation 2013 Ltd (formerly Paragon Hotel (Birmingham) Ltd and Paragon Birmingham Ltd were placed into Administration on 21 September 2012.

Sarah Megan Rayment and Anthony David Nygate, BDO LLP, 55 Baker Street, London W1U 7EU were appointed joint Administrators of all five companies.

Sarina Thiara Dhillon is of 19A Warrington Crescent London W9 1ED.

Novtej Singh Dhillon now resides 8b Albert Palace, Kensington, London W8 5PD and was formerly of the 16e Portland Road London W11 4LA.

The Secretary of State accepted an undertaking from Samina Thiara Dhillon on 23 December 2016. The disqualification commences on 13 January 2017.

The Secretary of State accepted an undertaking from Novtej Singh Dhillon on 24 January 2017. The disqualification commenced on 14 February 2017

A disqualification order has the effect that without specific permission of a court, a person with a disqualification cannot:

• act as a director of a company
• take part, directly or indirectly, in the promotion, formation or management of a company or limited liability partnership
• be a receiver of a company’s property

Disqualification undertakings are the administrative equivalent of a disqualification order but do not involve court proceedings. Persons subject to a disqualification order are bound by a range of other restrictions.

The Insolvency Service, an executive agency sponsored by the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS), administers the insolvency regime, and aims to deliver and promote a range of investigation and enforcement activities both civil and criminal in nature, to support fair and open markets. We do this by effectively enforcing the statutory company and insolvency regimes, maintaining public confidence in those regimes and reducing the harm caused to victims of fraudulent activity and to the business community, including dealing with the disqualification of directors in corporate failures.

BEIS’ mission is to build a dynamic and competitive UK economy that works for all, in particular by creating the conditions for business success and promoting an open global economy. The Criminal Investigations and Prosecutions team contributes to this aim by taking action to deter fraud and to regulate the market. They investigate and prosecute a range of offences, primarily relating to personal or company insolvencies.

The agency also authorises and regulates the insolvency profession, assesses and pays statutory entitlement to redundancy payments when an employer cannot or will not pay employees, provides banking and investment services for bankruptcy and liquidation estate funds and advises ministers and other government departments on insolvency law and practice.

Further information about the work of the Insolvency Service, and how to complain about financial misconduct, is available.

All public enquiries concerning the affairs of the company should be made to: Cheryl Lambert, Chief Investigator, Investigations and Enforcement Services, The Insolvency Service, 3rd Floor, Abbey Orchard Street, London SW1P 2HT. Tel: 0207 596 6117. Email: Cheryl.Lambert@insolvency.gsi.gov.uk.

Media enquiries for this press release – 020 7674 6910 or 020 7596 6187

You can also follow the Insolvency Service on:

8 March 2017

* No mention of climate change in Chancellor’s speech

* ‘Woefully inadequate’ resources for health and social care

* ‘Utter failure’ to address the air pollution emergency

Caroline Lucas, the co-leader of the Green Party, has given a damning verdict on today’s Budget. With the Chancellor refusing to give the NHS and social care the funding that experts say is needed, and with Phillip Hammond’s speech failing to mention climate change, Lucas said that the Budget ‘utterly fails to address the challenges of our time’.

Caroline Lucas MP said:

“This budget should have been an emergency intervention to end the chaos in health and social care and address the air pollution emergency, but instead it’s another resounding failure from a Government that’s got no ideas beyond an obsession with scaling back the state. 

“With our NHS in peril and social care in the midst of a crisis this Budget was a chance for the Government to take a stand for the public services upon which we all rely. Instead they continue to push ahead with planned Corporation tax cuts, and their handout to high earners, while unveiling woefully inadequate funding changes for the NHS and social care. . The Government’s obsessions with slimming down the state is causing misery – and their refusal to think again on this issue is inexcusable.”

Lucas also slammed the Government for a ‘climate failure’ Budget and for refusing to act on air pollution:

“The Chancellor has utterly failed to get a grip on the air pollution emergency in Britain, and this budget simply won’t go anywhere near far enough in cleaning up the filthy air which leads to 40,000 early deaths per year. With the cost of motoring dropping in recent years – and public transport costs skyrocketing – we should have seen the fuel duty escalator unfrozen and the money ploughed into public transport. Instead we’ve seen further handouts to the motor lobby and persistent neglect for cleaner, healthier forms of transport.”

“This budget is another climate failure – with Chancellor failing to mention climate change even once in his speech.. Rather than reversing the solar tax hike or ploughing money into renewables the Chancellor seems hell bent on drilling for more gas and oil in the North Sea, and handing further cash to the motor lobby with the fuel duty freeze. Britain should be leading the world in climate change technology and green jobs but instead we’re lagging behind and laying the foundations for another dash for gas.”

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Highways England has advised drivers using the M5 in Gloucestershire to plan ahead and allow extra travelling time during next week’s world famous Cheltenham Festival.

The popular event runs from Tuesday, 14 March until Friday, 17 March with more than 200,000 people expected to attend throughout the week.

The Festival concludes with Friday’s Gold Cup which can see more than 65,000 people attend on a single day. The busiest times on the roads are expected to be between 9.30am until 12.30pm each day. Queues are likely on the approach to M5 junction 10 southbound, and on all approaches to M5 junction 11.

Gareth Price, Highways England emergency planning officer for the South West, said:

Junctions 10 and 11 of the M5 are like to be busy on these days, particularly Friday, 17 March.

Our aim is to keep the Highways England network running whilst keeping road users safe and informed. We advise all drivers to check our traffic and travel information channels, set off early and allow plenty of time for their journeys.

Highways England provides up-to-date traffic information via its website, via Twitter @highwaysSWEST, local and national radio travel bulletins, electronic road signs and mobile platforms.

Drivers, business owners and residents are invited to find out more about plans to widen a section of the road that connects the M6 with the city of Stoke-on-Trent.

Highways England is developing a scheme to widen the A500 from two to three lanes between Porthill (A5271) and Wolstanton (A527), helping to reduce congestion and improve journey times.

Highways England will be working in collaboration with Stoke-on-Trent City Council to ensure the scheme will tie in with the local authority’s proposed improvements at the A500 Wolstanton junction and the associated access into the Etruria Valley site.

Highways England project manager, Malcolm Mitson, said:

This scheme will improve journeys for people using the A500 by easing the flow of traffic and reducing congestion, making journey times more reliable. And increasing capacity with a third lane will support the growth of the local economy as well as improve safety.

It is proposed the speed limit will be lowered from 70mph to 50mph, for safety and consistency with other parts of the route in urban areas.

It’s also proposed to close the public footpaths that run alongside the A500, instead providing an alternative footpath/cycle way at a safer distance from the main carriageway, as well as safe pedestrian access to cross the road at Porthill junction.

The scheme, part of the government’s £15.2bn road investment strategy, will take approximately 18 months to complete, with construction starting by spring 2020 and opening to traffic autumn 2021.

People attending the exhibitions will be able to see plans of the proposals, find out more about the scheme and ask questions of the project team.

Highways England will be attending events being run in conjunction with Stoke-on-Trent City Council on:

• Wednesday 15 March, 9am to 3pm, at Middleport Medical Centre, Newport Lane, Stoke-on-Trent, ST6 3NP
• Thursday 16 March, 2pm to 8pm, at Bradwell Lodge Community Centre, Bradwell Lane, Porthill, Newcastle-under-Lyme, ST5 8PS

General enquiries

Members of the public should contact the Highways England customer contact centre on 0300 123 5000.

Media enquiries

Journalists should contact the Highways England press office on 0844 693 1448 and use the menu to speak to the most appropriate press officer.

The Spring Budget included £149m of additional revenue funding between 2017-18 and 2019-20 and an extra £52m of capital funding for Wales between 2017-18 and 2020-21.

Finance Secretary Mark Drakeford:  

“Ahead of the Budget, I wrote to the Chief Secretary to the Treasury to outline my concerns about the UK Government’s intention to press ahead with £3.5bn cuts to public spending in 2019-20. We still have no clarity about these looming cuts, which could result in our Budget being reduced by £175m.  

“The UK Government’s efficiency review will not report until the autumn. I am not prepared to wait until then to find out the impact of more cuts to our Budget. I am seeking urgent assurances from the UK Government that we will discuss early findings well before the autumn.

“In these uncertain times, we have been clear about the need to end austerity and invest in our valued public services and the economy.  

“Additional revenue funding is always needed against the backdrop of continued cuts to our Budget as a result of the UK Government’s pursuit of the damaging policy of austerity.  

“Since 2010, our Budget has been cut by 8% in real terms. Today’s Spring Budget was yet another missed opportunity to end austerity.

“Despite the ongoing cuts to our funding, we have prioritised funding for social care in Wales and spending health and social care is 6% higher in Wales than in England. I’m pleased the Chancellor has followed the Welsh Government’s lead and recognised the importance of social care to the health service.

“In Wales, we have also acted to support those small businesses which have been disproportionately affected by the independent Valuation Office Agency’s revaluation. We have put in place £20m of targeted support for 2017-18, on top of our Small Business Rates Relief scheme.

“The Welsh Government’s Cabinet will now decide how we maximise the additional revenue funding and the very modest increase to our capital budget to support our investment priorities.”

“We have said for some time that the Swansea Bay Region city deal is ready to be signed – we fully recognise the importance of the deal and the positive long-term economic benefits it will bring across the region.  It is disappointing the Chancellor didn’t use this Budget to bring the deal to its conclusion immediately.”