The UK’s Serious Fraud Office (SFO) has charged a second individual in relation to its five-year probe into what was billed as an ethical forestry investment scheme, one of two schemes estimated to have lost victims around £20m. Sources: Financial Times, International Advisor
Omari Bowers, a former director of Global Forestry Investments, has been charged with conspiracy to defraud, forgery, and misconduct in the course of winding up and will appear at Westminster Magistrates Court on 2 August.
The SFO revealed earlier in the month it had charged Andrew Skeene, another former director of the company, with offences including conspiracy to defraud and forgery as part of its probe.
Mr Bowers was charged by postal requisition with three offences of conspiracy to defraud contrary to common law, four offences of forgery, one offence of misconduct in the course of winding up and one offence of making a false statement not under oath.
Mr Skeene was charged on Saturday 29 June 2019 with the same offences and arrested at Heathrow airport.
Mr Skeene was a director of GFI, which promoted investing in teak forests in Brazil. In both cases the charges relate to alleged frauds concerning Global Forestry Investments between August 2010 and December 2015.
