As MP meets fraud squad, Sir Shifty sails on
CHATTING away on his mobile phone, Sir Philip Green takes a break from sunning himself on his Greek island odyssey to attend to business.
Despite the perfect weather, the former BHS owner – who has been nicknamed Sir Shifty and called the ‘unacceptable face of capitalism’ – looked rather glum.
Perhaps he was taking a call about the news that the Serious Fraud Office is considering starting a criminal investigation over his sale of the store group.
Fraud investigators are scouring through mountains of evidence about BHS’s collapse, including a report by MPs into the sale.
Labour MP Frank Field, who led a parliamentary investigation into the BHS fiasco, said: ‘The SFO is collecting evidence and they have wheelbarrows full of documents. Our report ain’t going to die.’
Mr Field said investigators are expected to decide whether there are grounds for a criminal investigation in September. The news will no doubt have put a dampener on Sir Philip’s summer holiday. Dressed in a baggy t-shirt and shorts after unflattering pictures were published of him without his shirt, the 64-year-old prowled the decks of his £100million yacht Lionheart.
He was moored near the private island of Skorpios in Greece which was once owned by the late Greek shipping billionaire Aristotle Onassis. Since the crisis over the collapse of BHS – which he sold to a thrice-bankrupt businessman for £1 – Sir Philip has taken refuge on his floating palace.
The subsequent closure of BHS has put more than 11,000 jobs at risk and endangered the pensions of more than 20,000 former employees. Sir Philip began his holiday in Malta before embarking on a Greek island-hopping tour.
His wife Tina, 67, who is the registered owner of his £3.2billion shopping empire, is keeping him company aboard the newest addition to his private fleet, which she is said to have designed.
The couple already own two other superyachts, two jets and a helicopter.
They had no comment to make on potential SFO investigations.