The former owner of a failed fast-food pizza takeaway has been jailed over a £20,000 Covid-19 loan fraud. The Insolvency Service said the case of Abdulrazag Zagroba, 54, from Old Trafford, was the first successful criminal prosecution of a 'bounce back' loan fraudster in the country.
The Government's Bounce Back Loan Scheme was launched to enable smaller businesses to access finance more quickly during the coronavirus pandemic.
It closed to new applications and top-up applications in March last year. Zagroba, of Rosslyn Road, Old Trafford, applied for a £20,000 loan two weeks after his application to dissolve his company, Stretford-based Amigo Pizza (Manchester) Ltd, was signed, a court heard.
Speaking after the case, the Insolvency Service said Zagroba did not disclose to the bank that the company was already in the process of being dissolved and signed the loan declaration stating the company would be able to make repayments.
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