10-year director ban for commercial vehicle firm boss

THE boss of a Lancashire commercial vehicle dealership has been banned from being a director for 10 years after an investigation by the Insolvency Service.

Joseph Allen Munro, 57, was the sole director of Allen Munro Commercials, which sold trailers to the haulage sector and from a site in Burscough and went into administration last year.

At a hearing last month, Mr Munro, 58, gave an undertaking to the Department for Business not to manage or in any way control a company or act a director until 2022.

The Insolvency Service’s investigation found that during the last three years of trading, the company obtained money from four different finance houses for vehicles and machinery which it either didn’t purchase, didn’t own, didn’t exist, or which was subsequently sold without knowledge of the financiers.

AMC was placed into administration in January 2011 owing creditors of £1.7m. The finance companies alone were owed at least £261,084 in the administration.

The investigation, led by the Insolvency Service investigations team in Manchester, also found that from 2009 onwards, the company also failed to pay tax to HMRC and owed £245,147 in unpaid PAYE and National Insurance Contribution at the date of administration.

Claire Entwistle, director of company investigations, north said: “Falsely raising finance on assets is a very serious matter. As the sole director of the company responsibility for this rests with Mr Munro.

“The Insolvency Service will thoroughly investigate all such allegations and pursuing offenders vigorously.”

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