SFO charges former director of Global Forestry Investments

9 Jul 2019 11:52 AM

The Serious Fraud Office has charged an individual in relation to the Global Forestry Investments investigation.

Andrew Skeene, a former director of Global Forestry Investments, has been charged with conspiracy to defraud, forgery, and misconduct in the course of winding up.

The charges relate to alleged frauds concerning Global Forestry Investments between August 2010 and December 2015.

The investigation is ongoing and we cannot provide further comment at this time.

Notes to editors:

1. The SFO opened its investigation into Global Forestry Investments in June 2014.
2. Andrew Skeene was arrested at Heathrow Airport on Saturday 29 June 2019 and has been charged 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 contrary to s.208(1)(d) of the Insolvency Act 1986, and one offence of making a false statement not under oath contrary to s.5(c) of the Perjury Act 1911.
3. The strict liability rule in the Contempt of Court Act 1981 applies.