Anna Daroy, a former executive director of Highways England (now National Highways), has received an eleven-year director ban after abusing COVID-19 Bounce Back loans.
The former director general of the Institute of Directors, who also served as executive director of strategy and planning at Highways England from 2015-17, was banned by the Insolvency Service earlier this month after she secured two £50,000 Bounce Back loans from separate banks for her management consultancy Globepoint Associates.
Ms Dary received the £100,000 in loans within a five-day period in May 2020. Following this, Globepoint Associates later went into liquidation in March 2023 with both loan balances still outstanding.
The ban, which prevents Ms Daroy from being involved in the promotion, formation or management of a company without the permission of the court, was accepted by the Secretary of State for Business and Trade and came into effect from 10 September.
Kevin Read, chief investigator at the Insolvency Service, said: ‘Anna Daroy abused the Bounce Back Loan Scheme by obtaining two loans when businesses were entitled to just one. When Daroy realised that her company had received double the amount of money it was allowed, she should have repaid one of the loans.
‘Bounce Back Loans were designed to provide vital support to struggling businesses during the pandemic, not to be exploited by those who did not follow the terms of the scheme.
‘As someone with such extensive experience in senior business leadership roles, Daroy should have known better than to break the rules.
‘Director disqualifications protect the public from people who have demonstrated unfit conduct, and we will continue to investigate and take action against those who breach their duties.’
Ms Daroy is now banned as a director until September 2036.
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