Diamond trader banned for ‘falsifying’ sales invoices

Jan Maarten Asscher, director of Clarity Diamonds, has been banned from running limited companies for 11 years after falsifying high end jewellery sales invoices worth $1.75m (£1.38m), the Insolvency Service has said.

His fellow director, Mark Timothy Walker (57), of Ware, has also been banned for nine years after he allowed the company to produce the false sales documents. Both have over 70 years’ diamond trading experience between them.

Clarity Diamonds was incorporated in February 2014 to trade in wholesale diamonds. The company, however, entered into Creditors Voluntary Liquidation (CVL) in June 2017, after it could not pay debts worth more than £1.2m.

An investigation was launched into the conduct of the directors and established Asscher had caused the company to falsify invoices relating to bespoke, diamond jewellery. The value stated on the invoices came to $1.75m (£1.38m) in total.

The documents, which Asscher referred to as ’holding invoices’, were generated with names and addresses that reflected neither the ultimate recipient nor the full value of the order. This meant liquidators could not trace the pieces to recover them for the benefit of creditors.

Marc Symons, deputy head of insolvent investigations at the Insolvency Service, said: “Directors have a duty to maintain accurate records. In this case, the false invoices have resulted in outstanding debts to creditors of more than £1.1m. These experienced diamond dealers have received substantial bans, and this should serve as a warning to others who are remiss in their director’s responsibilities.”