Philip Miller has been disqualified for nine years, Robert Davies for six years and Daniel for five years.

The three were directors of Speed-e-Loans.com Ltd (SEL). All were found to have breached their fiduciary duties and the duties of care, skill and diligence. Philip Miller caused, while his son, Daniel Miller, and Davies allowed, SEL, at a time when it was not solvent and had ceased lending to new clients to receive funds from private investors via pension liberation schemes.

These investors became liable to pay a substantial tax charge and were also exposed to the risk of penalties. SEL received £1,210,860 from private investors, funds which were in jeopardy and were lost in the events that happened.

At administration, SEL had assets listed at £150,269 and liabilities to creditors of £4.36m.

SEL traded as a pay-day loan provider from February 2010 until July 2012, when its then managing director was suspended. A new managing director was appointed and SEL ceased lending to new clients by August 2012, thereby ceasing active new trading. At a board meeting, the directors sought new opportunities for the investment of new monies into SEL.

Phillip Miller (who had previously been a formally appointed director and was a major shareholder) presented a proposal for SEL to receive monies from a pensions liberation scheme set up by third party brokers.

SEL was to be the investment through which members of the public derived guaranteed annual dividend payments of 5% as well as a guaranteed return of the whole of their so-called ‘investments’ in ten years.

The terms were that SEL would receive 54% of the money provided by the public but be contractually obliged to repay 100% plus that annual 5% dividend. The board agreed by majority to the proposals and set in place the necessary pension trusts and paperwork.

From October 2012, members of the public invested through brokers at least £2.6m, of which at least £1.2m was received by SEL, and none of which was used by SEL to trade. This money was utilised to meet existing debt repayments of SEL, the Insolvency Service found.

In January 2013 SEL became aware that that one of the brokers responsible for the scheme was on trial for fraud. SEL continued receiving investments until May 2013.

During May 2013 a BBC documentary was shown raising clear concerns over such schemes. SEL sought professional advice and entered into administration in June 2013.

Cheryl Lambert, chief investigator at the Insolvency Service, said: ‘The directors were collectively, and at the kindest interpretation, recklessly negligent in their desperation to save the company. ‘None of them asked simple, obvious questions when it should have been clear to them the brokers were taking nearly 50% in fees, nor the type of scheme they had become involved with and the individuals who were pushing the scheme.

Report by Pat Sweet