Director barred for BBL claim

Insolvency Service found that Malone had Malone has overstated his company's turnover
Insolvency Service found that Malone had Malone has overstated his company's turnover

The boss of a micro print business has received a lengthy ban for falsely claiming the business was entitled to the maximum Bounce Back Loan amount.

Bradley Malone was the director and majority shareholder of Onenetprint Ltd, based in London. The firm was established in March 2012.

Malone applied for a £50,000 taxpayer-backed Bounce Back Loan (BBL) on 17 June 2020 and stated that Onenetprint’s annual turnover was £200,000.

The loan was paid into the company’s account on 18 June 2020.

The terms of the BBL support for small businesses during the pandemic allowed businesses to borrow a minimum of £2,000 and up to £25% of a firm’s turnover in calendar year 2019.

However, the Insolvency Service said that professionally prepared financial statements for the financial year ending 31 March 2019 showed the firm’s actual sales were just £94,867, while bank statement analysis for calendar year 2019 showed sales of £90,246.

Based on that figure the maximum BBL entitlement for Onenetprint would have been £22,561.

“Mr Malone has overstated the company turnover on the application form resulting in Onenetprint receiving at least £27,438 in BBL proceeds that it was not entitled to receive,” the report stated.

Malone has been disqualified from being a director for ten years, with the banning order effective from today (17 July 2023).

Onenetprint went into liquidation on 22 February 2022. The £50,000 BBL made up most of its estimated total deficiency of £67,499.

Malone was born in March 1966 and his last known address was on Palmers Road, Bethnal Green, London.