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Manchester takeaway fined after fraudulently claiming £20k in COVID support grants
What goes around...
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A takeaway and its owner have been handed hefty fines after fraudulently claiming £20,000 in COVID support grants.
Ajibola Jerimiah Adenuga, who is the owner of a takeaway food business – which trades under the name Suya Republick – on Chester Road, just outside of Manchester city centre, was last week (Friday 31 May) sentenced at a hearing, and subsequently fined following first pleading guilty to six offences at a Magistrates Court hearing back in November of last year.
The 35-year-old from Eccles benefited from a whopping £17,669 in fraudulent COVID support grant claims, and also attempted to claim a further £2,667 – which would’ve made it a total of £20,336.
His sentencing follows what has been a thorough investigation by Manchester City Council.
Mr Adenuga first made his way onto the Council’s radar after his application for an Omicron Hospitality and Leisure Grant (OHLG) in February 2022 was declined and subsequently referred for investigation, as it was found that he was takeaway, rather than a restaurant as claimed in his application, and takeaways were not eligible under this scheme as they were not required to close.
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Following the Council’s investigation, it was found that Mr Adenuga had also received a Local Restrictions Support Grant (LRSG) totalling £9,669.21 after claiming to be a ‘sexual entertainment and hostess bar’ when operating as a takeaway.
Mr Adenuga also received a Restart Grant (RG) of £8,000 by claiming to be an outdoor bar supplying alcoholic beverages.
Mr Adenuga was interviewed twice by Council officers in June and July 2022, and admitted that he had made false applications to support his business.
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His guilty pleas therefore saw him sentenced to a 12-month Community Order, 200 hours unpaid work with five Rehabilitation Activity Requirement (RAR) days attached, costs of £1,400 plus a £114 victims surcharge, and the Court also suspended his personal licence to sell alcohol for two months.
The company itself was also fined £1,000, along with £1,400 in costs under the Fraud Act 2006 for three offences, and ordered to pay a £400 victims surcharge.
Featured Image – Google Maps