Arena TV director found as £285m lawsuit filed against two others

Arena TV director Robert Hopkinson has reportedly been found by French law enforcement. 

According to The Times, the Serious Fraud Office is now in contact with the French authorities over gaining access to Hopkinson, while fellow director Richard Yeowart is yet to be located. The SFO has already made two arrests related to the case, and searched three sites, earlier this year.

Meanwhile, a £285 million lawsuit has been brought against two others involved in the case by administrator Kroll. Sentinel Broadcast director Paul Froom, who allegedly appointed criminal defence lawyers at the beginning of the year, and Nicholas Cousins, who held a senior finance role with Arena TV and had a claim filed against him by Kroll earlier this month, have been accused of providing “dishonest assistance” to Hopkinson and Yeowart.

Froom is being pursued over £1.1 million of invoices paid to Sentinel, which are said to have been misapplied or missapropriated by Arena TV’s directors. Administrator Kroll was reportedly investigating the possibility that Sentinel had created false invoices in co-operation with Arena TV earlier this year. Meanwhile, Kroll claims Cousins received £210,000 in “corrupt gifts” for his role in the fraud.

Sentinel Broadcast worked closely with Arena TV and was put into administration in July.

Arena TV ceased trading last November, and it has since been revealed that the company was over £280 million in debt, £182 million from 46 lenders of which didn’t have recourse to any assets. Yeowart and Hopkinson were made bankrupt earlier this year, after Kroll brought a default judgement against them.

The fraud allegedly involved the company borrowing funds against equipment didn’t exist or had already been used to secure debt. It was discovered when a lender asked for evidence of the equipment it had loaned against. A full explanation of the complicated fraud allegedly commited by those involved can be found here.