Rogue recovery specialists wound-up in court
Nottingham company claiming to recover debts has been wound-up after making unsolicited approaches to creditors contrary to insolvency law.
Global Investigations and Recoveries Limited was wound up in the public interest in the High Court on 17 May 2021 before DDJ Watkin. The Official Receiver has been appointed liquidator of the company.
During the proceedings, the court heard that Global Investigations and Recoveries was incorporated in April 2019, with registered offices in Nottingham.
The company contacted businesses who were creditors of insolvent companies, offering that it could recover debts from the director directly and outside of statutory liquidation proceedings.
Global Investigations and Recoveries, however, came to the attention of the Insolvency Service after receiving complaints that the company was operating contrary to insolvency legislation.
Following confidential enquiries, investigators established several instances of misconduct caused by Global Investigations and Recoveries.
The rogue debt collectors used a bank account not in its own name and engaged in misleading sales practices with no apparent commercial benefit to customers, while also failing to maintain a registered office, which is prejudicial to creditors or customers of the company.
Global Investigations and Recoveries failed to co-operate with the Insolvency Service’s enquiries and did not deliver any accounting or trading records.
This has meant investigators could not establish the full extent of harm caused by Global Investigations and Recoveries. It is understood, however, that one potential victim was quoted £4,000 to engage with Global Investigations and Recoveries’ debt collection services.
The court wound up Global Investigations and Recoveries on the grounds that it traded with a lack of transparency and commercial probity.
David Usher, Chief Investigator for the Insolvency Service, said:
Insolvency proceedings are established in law and liquidators are responsible for recovering returns to creditors. Global Investigations and Recoveries, however, acted contrary to insolvency law and unscrupulously targeted creditors, who only wanted to secure their returns.
We will not hesitate to petition the courts where evidence uncovers abuse and in this case the courts have wound-up Global Investigations and Recoveries, which will protect further creditors from harm.
All enquiries concerning Global Investigations and Recoveries should be directed to the Official Receiver via PIU.OR@insolvency.gov.uk, quoting: LQD6241915 – Global Investigations and Recoveries Ltd.
Notes to editors
Global Investigations and Recoveries Limited – company registration number 11928205 – was incorporated on 5 April 2019.
The petition was presented under s124A of the Insolvency Act 1986. The Official Receiver was appointed as liquidator of the company on 17 May 2021 by DDJ Watkin, a Judge of the High Court.
Company Investigations, part of the Insolvency Service, uses powers under the Companies Act 1985 to conduct confidential fact-finding investigations into the activities of live limited companies in the UK on behalf of the Secretary of State for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy (BEIS). Further information about live company investigations is available here.
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