An updating and informative conversation on the whole story behind Michelle Young's high-profile divorce case in the UK, as she sought her family's share of wealth and estates from ex-husband Scott Young, a billionaire edged into entrepreneurship by her father's business base and contacts, who apparently hid his assets offshore prior to the divorce, declared bankruptcy and prevented Michelle and their daughters from being given any part of the estate.
Paying solicitors millions of pounds and going to court 65 times across 8 years, Michelle discovered the laxity of judges, the venality of solicitors, and the entrenched corruption in litigation funding firms, all of whom seemed intent on prolonging the case interminably while refusing to seek disclosure of basic communications between Scott and his advisors and lawyers which would have revealed how and where his assets had been hidden, and refusing to pass what looked to be obvious judgment once the paper trail of his assets was discovered on a hard drive on one of the children's laptops.
In the long process of court hearings, Michelle relays that she was obliged to pay solicitor fees and court fees to Grant Thornton the firm appointed to investigate the assets and HMRC, take numerous loans, and was then wrongfully litigated against by Grant Thornton to get a judgment of bankruptcy against her -- something she has strenuously fought and continues to battle, given that the entire dispute was over major estate and liquid assets that have been proved to exist and should rightfully have been returned to her, particularly after Scot Young's mysterious death in odd circumstances when his body was found impaled on the railings below his flat.
Another factor of this case which ties in to the Police and Crime Commissioner Anthony Stansfeld's current accumulation of evidence of bankruptcy fraud and bank loan fraud in thousands of cases all across Britain is the uncovering of lack of solicitor regulation and auditing ethics; had the Solicitors Regulation Authority, the Serious Fraud Office, the National Crime Agency, the Financial Reporting Council all been doing their jobs--or even proved able to do them when specifically tasked--this extent of unethicality and corruption from solicitors, accountants, loan firms would never have occurred. Currently, Anthony reports that about 15 of his 21 folders filled with fraud cases have been submitted to the National Crime Agency but no word or investigation has resulted, over one and a half years of waiting. Anthony also relays the situation in the case of fraud from Lloyd's Bank and HBOS bank, where it has been discovered the regulatory authorities and the banks play Merry Go Round with the famed revolving door, sticking their own top executives in gatekeeping positions in the FRC, as also do the top accounting firms like KPMG.
Michele suggests an independent auditor is indicated, and perhaps teams of auditors could work with Anthony's office and for the people, to set right these wrongs, break up the system of old boys clubs and secret handshakes behind much of this crime, and return accountability and justice to the people. Further coverage on this matter will continue to shine a light on these vast corruptions, in hope that positive change will speedily ensue.
Many thanks to Michelle Young and Anthony Stansfeld for this timely and important interview.
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