A Watford woman has been found guilty of fraudulently claiming a £50,000 COVID loan.
Irena Tokarczyk, 66, of Ashburnham Drive, fraudulently claimed a Bounce Back Loan before dissolving her company, Good Food Shops Ltd, in 2020 without telling the bank which provided the loan – a breach of the law.
Investigators discovered that Tokarczyk had applied for the loan in June 2020, knowing that the rules of the scheme stipulated that it must be repaid by the company. They found no evidence that the company, which was registered to an address in Greenford Road, Harrow, had ever actually traded.
By law, anyone applying to dissolve a company must inform the firm’s lenders or creditors of the application within seven days.
Tokarczyk pleaded guilty to fraud and a breach of the Companies Act 2006 at Isleworth Crown Court in November. She was handed an 18-month sentence, suspended for 12 months, for failing to perform the duties of a director, and a further two-year jail sentence, suspended for 12 months, for fraud. Her sentences will run concurrently.
Each of the sentences includes 100 hours of unpaid work and 10 days of rehabilitation activity. Tokarczyk was also disqualified as a company director for three years from November 2024, which will prevent her from running or managing a company without the permission of the court.
The Insolvency Service is seeking to recover the money through a Proceeds of Crime Confiscation Order, which is due to be heard in court this month.
Chief Investigator Mark Stephens said: “Irena Tokarczyk exploited the Bounce Back Loan scheme at a time when businesses in the UK were facing some of their toughest times.
“Her sentence shows the Insolvency Service will strive for the toughest penalties for those who abuse taxpayers’ money.
“We will continue to seek recovery of the money to return it to the public purse.”
0 Comments