Former sports activities director fined £15,000 in pensions probe

A Sussex businessman has been ordered to pay £15,000 for withholding info legally required in an investigation by The Pensions Regulator (TPR) which had continued since 2020. 

Lee Bartholomew, 45, of Lockside, Tonbridge, Kent, appeared at Lewes Crown Court docket on 31 Could in a prosecution introduced by TPR.

The previous firm director of 1066 Goal Sports activities Ltd in St Leonards, East Sussex was fined £7,500 and ordered to pay prices of £7,500.  

At a earlier listening to at Lewes Crown Court docket on 26 April, Mr Bartholomew pleaded responsible underneath part 77(5) of the Pensions Act 2004 to deliberately and with out cheap excuse suppressing paperwork he was required to supply underneath part 72 of the Pensions Act 2004. 

The regulator requested the data on 10 June 2020 as a part of an investigation into allegations of fraudulent evasion regarding worker pension contributions.

The court docket heard that Mr Bartholomew deliberately failed to supply the data required by TPR by the deadline of 8 July 2020, suppressing the fabric sought with out cheap excuse. 

Following his responsible plea to the cost, TPR is not prosecuting Mr Bartholome. 



In his ruling, Decide Mooney informed the defendant: “You took the choice to suppress, ie intentionally not present, documentation you need to have executed since you knew to take action would alert the regulator that you just weren’t paying cash the place you need to have executed.”

The decide added that as this hadn’t been executed, he couldn’t know the place the cash went at the moment.  

He continued: “This triggered a level of misery to the folks affected, as the cash they thought was going into their pensions didn’t. It triggered them actual concern.” 

Decide Mooney stated Mr Bartholomew’s resolution to not present the data required a sentence that serves as a punishment and in addition as a deterrent to others from doing the identical factor, thereby emphasising the significance of regulatory compliance.   

Joe Turner, head of automated enrolment compliance and enforcement at The Pensions Regulator, stated: “This case sends a transparent warning that we don’t hesitate to prosecute corporations or people in the event that they refuse to provide us the correct info when requested and/or attempt to frustrate our intention to guard pension savers. 

“We tried to make use of our civil powers to place issues proper on this case, however this was ignored. Anybody refusing to adjust to our requests for info with out good motive ought to take notice that they might discover themselves in court docket and with a legal conviction.”   

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