Press release

Potential victims of travel agency shut down by courts are urged to come forward

Company failed to pay accommodation bills and displayed ABTA and ATOL logos despite having no affiliation with either organisation.바카라 사이트¯바카라 사이트¯

From:
The Insolvency Service
Published
24 July 2024

  • Zulu Travel Services Ltd was wound up at the High Court of Justice in Manchester following an investigation into its trading practices,바카라 사이트¯and the official receiver appointed as liquidator 

  • Company director Dr Darren Anderson had changed his name three times and was already바카라 사이트¯ banned from running a company for 15 years under his previous name바카라 사이트¯Â 

  • Anderson failed to hand over company records so investigators could not prove the accuracy of accounts showing more than £4.7million assets and shareholder funds바카라 사이트¯Â 

People who think they might be owed money by a travel agency which has been closed down following an Insolvency Service investigation are being encouraged to come forward.  

Zulu Travel Services Ltd was wound up by the courts in June after investigators found it was being run by a disqualified director and had failed to keep company accounts or pay bills for services it had used.  

The company also failed to cooperate with an investigation into its affairs, leaving them unable to find out the extent of the company바카라 사이트™s business, including whether it had ever actually sold any holidays or flights to customers.바카라 사이트¯Â 

The official receiver was appointed as liquidator by the court, and has taken over the company바카라 사이트™s affairs to identify any assets it may have and make any possible returns to the travel firm바카라 사이트™s creditors. 

David Usher, Chief Investigator at the Insolvency Service, said:바카라 사이트¯Â 

Zulu Travel Services was engaged in trading practices which totally disregarded business rules and regulations.바카라 사이트¯Â 

It left other businesses out of pocket after using their services and misled members of the public, who could have bought holidays that they believed were ATOL-protected.바카라 사이트¯Â 

We are pleased this company has now been removed to protect the public and advise those who might be owed any money by the company to contact the official receiver

Zulu Travel Services Ltd was registered variously to addresses in Birkenhead, Chester, Manchester and London from its incorporation in October 2022. Dr Darren Anderson was listed as its sole director.바카라 사이트¯Â 

The company claimed to sell flights, hotels and holidays through its website, which displayed both Association of British Travel Agents (ABTA) and Air Travel Organisation Licensing (ATOL) protection logos 바카라 사이트“ signs that the company offered travel protection for its customers.바카라 사이트¯Â 

But the company had not been eligible for ABTA membership, and in March 2023 the organisation had requested that the business cease using their logo.바카라 사이트¯바카라 사이트¯Â 

Zulu Travel Services continued to use the ATOL-protected logo on its website and emails, despite there being no evidence that it had an ATOL licence. 

The travel agency also바카라 사이트¯booked holiday accommodation on a number of occasions in which Anderson had stayed as a guest, and then failed to pay the bills.바카라 사이트¯â¿’¯â¿’¯Â 

An Insolvency Service investigation found that Anderson was already banned from running a company for 15 years 바카라 사이트“ the maximum length of disqualification 바카라 사이트“ under his previous name of Timothy Ahlbeck. His ban had started in April 2021.바카라 사이트¯Â 

Driving licence records suggested that Anderson had earlier been known by two other names - Timothy Richard Skelding and Miles Prestland-Windsor.바카라 사이트¯바카라 사이트¯Â 

However Anderson failed to provide relevant documents to investigators, and they could not establish his true identity or discover if Anderson was the sole appointed director, or whether anyone else took part in the management of the business. 바카라 사이트¯Â 

Investigators found that the company had held a bank account between November and December 2022, but the account had no transactions.바카라 사이트¯Â 

It had filed accounts with Companies House for October 2022 - October 2023 showing current assets of £1,307,400 and shareholder funds of £3,408,400, but investigators found no evidence to verify that these accounts were accurate.바카라 사이트¯바카라 사이트¯Â 

They discovered that Anderson had made three attempts to get an ATOL licence for the company, and had declared that he was not a disqualified director as part of the application.바카라 사이트¯바카라 사이트¯Â 

He had also claimed on the application that his assets included the house in Wolverhampton in which he was living at the time, although in fact he had been renting the property.바카라 사이트¯Â 

Despite offering to cooperate with investigators, Anderson claimed he was then resident in the Netherlands, while he was actually living in Hathersage in the Peak District, where he was tracked down by an investigator.바카라 사이트¯Â 

Investigators were unable to trace details of customers, discover if the company employed staff, or even had any trading premises, due to its failure to cooperate.바카라 사이트¯Â 

The full scale, financial details and nature of Zulu Travel Services Ltd바카라 사이트™s business, and the amount of loss incurred by its customers and suppliers remains unknown.바카라 사이트¯Â 

The winding-up order was made by District Judge Matharu in the High Court, Business and Property Courts in Manchester on 5 June 2024, after the company declined to file any evidence in opposition of the order.바카라 사이트¯Â 

Enquiries concerning the affairs of the company should be made to the Official Receiver of the Public Interest Unit: 16th Floor, 1 Westfield Avenue, Stratford, London, E20 1HZ. Email:바카라 사이트¯piu.or@insolvency.gov.uk바카라 사이트¯â¿’¯â¿’¯Â 

Further Information:바카라 사이트¯바카라 사이트¯Â 

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Published 24 July 2024