Pub landlord banned for £178k tax bill

The director of a British company that owned a Hampshire pub has been banned from running a business for eight years after dodging £178,000-worth of tax payments.

Southampton County Court, where Ghesmati was given his 8-year disqualification order (Photo: Google Maps)

Nasser Ghesmati, 56, owned the company that ran The Fox and Hounds pub in Lyndhurst, Hampshire, which was liquidated in April 2013 owing just over £178,000.

It managed to rack up the charges over the course of just a year and half, after failing to pay any VAT, PAYE, or National Insurance contributions since October 2011.

The investigation that led to Ghesmati’s directorship ban discovered that he had inexplicably taken £580,530 from the company’s bank account at some point in the year leading up to its liquidation, despite the outstanding tax bill.

Mark Bruce, chief investigator with the Insolvency Service, which carried out the investigation, said: “It seems the director took off with over half a million pounds, and short-changed the public purse by £178,000.”

The eight year disqualification order was made at Southampton county court. Ghesmati, who failed to appear in court, was also ordered to pay legal costs in excess of £4,500.

Under the terms of the order, Ghesmati cannot be a director of a company, whether directly or indirectly, or be involved in the management of a company in any way until July 2023.

“Hard-working people who pay their taxes will understandably be shocked by this behaviour and that is why we have removed him from the business environment,” Mr Bruce said.