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Company directors cop disqualification, fines for false statements

Business

The corporate regulator has disqualified two directors from managing companies for five years after they were convicted of lodging false and misleading statements.

By Jotham Lian 11 minute read

An ASIC investigation has found that John Hunter Benn Goldsbrough, the former director of Telstra Business Consultants, had falsely and misleadingly stated that the company had no outstanding liabilities at the time of voluntarily deregistering the company between March and April 2018.

However, at the time Mr Goldsbrough lodged the document with ASIC, Telstra Business Consultants owed $95,839.59 to a creditor.

Mr Goldsbrough appeared in the Parramatta Local Court on 27 November 2019 and was fined $6,200.

Separately, Michelina Lawson, a former sole director of Lawson Migration Services Pty Ltd, was also found to have lodged a false and misleading statement on outstanding liabilities when lodging documents with ASIC to voluntarily deregister the company.

At the time Ms Lawson lodged the document with ASIC in March 2017, Lawson Migration Services had more than $17,708 in outstanding entitlements owed to employees.

Ms Lawson appeared in the Perth Magistrates Court on 3 December 2019 and was fined $1,200.

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In addition to being convicted and fined, both Mr Goldsbrough and Ms Lawson are automatically disqualified from managing companies for five years from 27 November 2019 and from 3 December 2019, respectively, as a consequence of their convictions.

ASIC Commissioner John Price said the various declarations made by directors when applying to deregister a company were designed to ensure creditor interests were protected and that the company’s affairs ceased in an orderly manner.

“Making a false and misleading statement to ASIC is a serious offence,” Mr Price said.

Jotham Lian

Jotham Lian

AUTHOR

Jotham Lian is the editor of Accountants Daily, the leading source of breaking news, analysis and insight for Australian accounting professionals.

Before joining the team in 2017, Jotham wrote for a range of national mastheads including the Sydney Morning Herald, and Channel NewsAsia.

You can email Jotham at: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. 

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