Juiliano Akeel Hussain was the sole director and majority shareholder of Rupert Design & Packaging Ltd, based in Bradford.
The firm was established in April 2019.
The Insolvency Service report stated that in May 2020 Hussain applied for a £50,000 government-backed Bounce Back Loan (BBL) in the name of Rupert Design & Packaging, at a time when “he knew, our ought to have known, that the company turnover did not support such an application and that information supplied to support the application was false”.
On his application Hussain stated that the turnover of the company was £267,500 and the firm wanted to borrow £50,000 under the BBL scheme.
“Analysis of the one known company bank account shows that the account was opened, and that the first account transactions inclusive of receipt of the BBL monies were credited, 5 May 2020,” the Insolvency Service said.
The BBL was paid out via Lloyds Bank.
Unaudited abridged accounts signed by Hussain for the period from 9 April 2019 to 30 April 2020, and filed at Companies House on 5 July 2021, show a shareholder funds deficit of £30,627.
“Despite requests by the Insolvency Service Mr Hussain has failed to evidence or satisfactorily explain the company trading position and turnover prior to 5 May 2020. Mr Hussain has failed to evidence or satisfactorily explain how the £50,000.00 BBL monies were used,” the Insolvency Service stated.
Incredibly, in August 2020 Hussain also made three claims via the Eat Out To Help Out (EOTHO) scheme that totalled £91,029.46 in the name of Rupert Design & Packaging, “when there is no evidence to support that the company owned, or operated, a qualifying establishment, or if it did, that the level of the claims were accurate”.
Hussain subsequently confirmed that the EOTHO claims related to the Al-Madina restaurant, located at 76 Wilmslow Road, Rusholme, Manchester, M14 5AL.
The Insolvency Service noted: “Internet searches show that this establishment is a small takeaway type restaurant with seating for approximately 10 diners, notwithstanding Covid-19 distancing restrictions.
“The claim amounts equate to an average of 1,383 diners served per day over the course of the qualifying period claimed, with a minimum total spend (as per the scheme guidelines) of £182,058.92. If the restaurant operated for 12 hours per day this would equate to 115 diners served per hour.”
Analysis of the one known company bank account connected to Rupert Design & Packaging showed no transactions identifiable with the running of a restaurant-type establishment, or with the level of turnover the EOTHO claim suggested.
As a result of his actions Hussain has been disqualified from being a director for 13 years – the maximum ban is 15 years. His date of birth is 19 April 1992, and his last known address is in Bradford.
The banning order took effect on 29 December 2022.
The Insolvency Service also said that he had failed to evidence or satisfactorily explain what had happened, and had not preserved or delivered adequate accounting records.
This meant it had not been possible to determine whether receipts into the company's bank account of £412,116.93 represented the total income of the business, and whether payments out of the company bank accounts – inclusive of £50,000 relating to the BBL – totalling £412,513.87 were legitimate company expenditure.
Printweek understands that all the amounts claimed for were paid out, and are now subject to recovery action.
Rupert Design & Packaging’s name was changed to Rupert Logistics & Distribution in July 2020, and then to Rupert Group a month later. In November 2020 the firm's name was changed back to Rupert Design & Packaging.
Simon Weir of DS Insolvency was appointed as liquidator on 7 September 2021.
Hussain was previously a director of Cafe Pasha Ltd, which was dissolved via compulsory strike-off in 2017; Opulence Property Management Ltd (formerly Bucks Coffee House Ltd), also dissolved via compulsory strike-off in 2019; and of Simplicity Cafe Ltd which is still an active company. He transferred his shareholding and resigned as a director of the latter in October 2021.
