Valdek Hetman, aged 61 and from Ilkeston in Nottinghamshire, received a 15-year ban from running a company. His accomplice Brendon Doherty, who acted as his front man, received a five-year directorship disqualification.
At an earlier hearing on 28th September at Derby Crown Court, Valdek Hetman also received a six-month prison sentence, suspended for two years, and was ordered to complete 120 hours of unpaid work and pay £750 costs. Brendon Doherty was ordered to pay a £600 fine.
The court heard that Valdek Hetman was made bankrupt for 12 months in July 2014, having been petitioned by a supplies company for unpaid bills. Two years later, he accepted a 10-year disqualification for his role in the liquidation of Abbey Construction Midlands Limited.
However, despite agreeing to be disqualified and having a range of restrictions placed upon him, Valdek Hetman continued to run companies in direct contravention of the disqualification undertaking that he had signed.
Following complaints to the Insolvency Service, investigators found proof that Valdek Hetman had been running two companies: Abbey Construction Group (East Midlands) Limited and Abbey Construction East Midlands Limited.
Furthermore, Abbey Construction (East Midlands) Limited had been made subject to compulsory liquidation in March 2015 and the name was banned from being used again. However, Hetman and Doherty committed a further offence when they traded using the name Abbey Construction East Midlands Limited, which was deemed similar to the banned name and allowed them to benefit from the association.
When interviewed by the Insolvency Service, the construction boss said he did not accept the facts given in the disqualification he had personally accepted in 2016.
Valdek Hetman also claimed that he worked as a contracts manager and 36-year-old Brendon Doherty was the real boss and the listed director of Abbey Construction Group (East Midlands) Limited and Abbey Construction East Midlands Limited.
Arwel Jones, director of criminal enforcement for the Insolvency Service, said: “We were able to demonstrate in spite of Valdek Hetman’s assertions, he was clearly running those companies, while his accomplice Brendon Doherty knew exactly was going when he played Hetman’s front-man. Our actions should serve as a warning that running a company while serving a ban is a serious offence that will land you in further trouble.”
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