Legal

A builder who was disqualified as a company director for Covid loan abuse has agreed to repay four-fifths of the money. Ioan Marcu, of Lindfield Road, Romford, signed an agreement committing him to repay £38,549 in monthly instalments, the Insolvency Service said in a statement today (29 April). Marcu inflated…

A subcontractor specialising in kitchen and bathroom refurbishments has failed in its attempt to avoid paying the Construction Industry Training Board (CITB) levy. Dunstable-based 3D Force Ltd had argued that it should not have been subject to the levy, and had been charged too much by the CITB. But in…

Four people, including three former Keltbray site managers, have been jailed for bribery in relation to the awarding of demolition contracts. Arben Hysa, 56, was found guilty in February of bribing the trio to secure contracts worth more than £15m through his company Tony Demolition Workers Ltd. He was sentenced…

Administrators for a mechanical and electrical (M&E) specialist have been served with a legal notice barring the disposal of company assets. A new report into the firm’s affairs by administrators stated that last month they were served with a restraint order against a director at the firm, under the Proceeds…

A London-based contractor has won its court battle over the payment of a £120,000 invoice on the refurbishment of a Covent Garden property. LAPP Industries Ltd took 1st Formations Ltd to an adjudicator under the Scheme for Construction Contracts Regulations 1998, after it failed to pay an invoice for interim…

A judge has allowed a claim by Dragados UK against the Port of Aberdeen to continue, despite the case relating to payments to a subcontractor that were not assigned a specific value. The Spanish-owned contractor worked on the port’s £350m harbour extension project from December 2016 to June 2020, when…

The High Court has ruled that a contract for demolition work made through WhatsApp messages was valid. Property developer Jaevee Homes, based in Norwich, had taken demolition contractor Steve Fincham to London’s Construction and Technology Court, claiming that a £256,000 deal made over WhatsApp was not valid. However, deputy district…

Jersey’s markets watchdog has warned contractors to be “aware of their responsibilities” after research revealed a widespread belief that a lack of competition was pushing up the price of construction on the island. The Jersey Competition Regulatory Authority (JCRA) said it would “pinpoint areas” requiring action in light of the…

Penalties for health and safety breaches by large contractors could become more consistent under a proposed shake-up of sentencing guidelines. Reformed health and safety fines introduced in 2016 saw recommendations given to judges for how to sentence companies ranked as being either micro, small, medium, large or very large based on…

A sole-trader building contractor has received a suspended prison sentence for falsely claiming the maximum amount available under the Covid loan system. Florin-Petrica Bodale, who offered plumbing, heating and air-conditioning installation, successfully applied for a Covid Bounce Back Loan of £50,000 in November 2020. However, the Insolvency Service said yesterday…