Craig Whyte and the dodgy accountant
CODE OF CONDUCT BREACHED
THE accountant advising Craig Whyte’s latest venture was severely reprimanded for acting against the interests of creditors.
Charlie Moore, a long-term associate of former Rangers owner Craig Whyte and his dad Tom, 73, received the condemnation from the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants in 2016.
He retired in 2018 but is still being touted by the Whytes as their go-to-guy for folding companies and taking any assets out of the reach of honest creditors.
Moore, who is not licensed to conduct paid insolvency work, turned up with Tom Whyte after the Record arranged to meet with Fortress Restructuring in phone conversations with Whyte junior.
We previously told how he falsely introduced himself as Tom during discussions on how to fold struggling companies and leave all debts behind.
The Record investigation discovered that the Fortress HQ is, in fact, an office used by Moore in Bath Street, Glasgow, despite him officially retiring two years after being punished by his regulatory body.
The small room still has Moore’s nameplate on the door.
Moore told our reporter he was there simply in an advisory
BY MARK McGIVERN Chief Reporter capacity and was receiving no cash for his role with the Whytes. He also said he was only working with Tom Whyte and not his son.
We had earlier been told on the phone by Craig Whyte – whose voice was verified by a top UK speech analyst – that “Charlie” had “many years in the insolvency game” and would be “very helpful” with the process of winding up our make-believe company, leaving creditors in the lurch.
He said: “I’ll probably bring my colleague Charlie along, who’s based in Glasgow too. He’s an ex-insolvency practitioner and I think you’ll find he’ll be very helpful as well.”
A source told us: “Charlie Moore has been associated with Tom Whyte for many years and any dealings they have will have a fair likelihood of involving him.
“If you scratch at his recent past, you will find there are elements in his history that will raise eyebrows. He should not be undertaking any paid insolvency work because he does not have a licence for it.” A report on the ACCA’s website in 2016 revealed that he was severely reprimanded after complaints that he failed to distribute funds to creditors after a firm went bust, despite there being sufficient funds to do so.
The ACCA investigation found that Moore, 67, acted contrary to the Fundamental Principle of Professional Competence and Due Care of ACCA’s Insolvency Code of Ethics and Conduct on three counts.
He also failed to progress the liquidation of three companies on a timely basis and he failed to document his role in the winding up of one company.
The ACCA also ordered Moore to pay costs of £1323.
Our man met Moore while posing as the boss of a distressed firm who wanted to cheat his way out of debts while carrying on with the business.
But after he revealed himself to be a journalist, the accountant told him that he was not seeking any payment for the role he was performing for Tom Whyte.
He denied any knowledge of Craig’s involvement. He told us:
“I’m not here as a front for Craig. I’m here because I know Tom. I’m not taking a fee. I haven’t even spoken about money, I’m here in an advisory capacity.”
The Record has sent details of our investigation to the Insolvency Service, which is considering the evidence.
Despite repeated approaches to Craig Whyte he has refused to respond.
Maggie McGhee, ACCA’s executive director – governance, said: “A retired member cannot practice – that means do regulated work such as audit or insolvency.
“However, a retired accountant can offer unregulated advice and then refer someone on to a regulated professional.
“We strongly recommend people ask to see an accountant’s credentials, check their status and ask about the type of work they are regulated to do.”