a takeaway business and its owner have each been fined after attempting to claim more than £20k in Government grants that they were not entitled to following a Council investigation.
Ajibola Jerimiah Adenuga, age 35 of The Gardens, Eccles, was sentenced to a 12 Month Community Order and 200 hours unpaid work with 5 Rehabilitation Activity Requirement (RAR) days attached, costs of £1,400 plus a £114 Victim Surcharge. The Court Also suspended his personal licence to sell alcohol for two months.
The company, registered at an address on Chester Road in Manchester as Ministry of Booze (trading name Suya Republick) was also fined £1,000, along with £1,400 in costs under the Fraud Act 2006 for three offences. The Court also ordered the company to pay a £400 victims surcharge.
In total, Adenuga – through his business – benefited from £17,669.21 in fraudulent Covid support grant claims – and attempted to claim a further £2,667. A total of £20,336.21
Adenuga pleaded guilty to the total of six offences at a Magistrates Court hearing 17 November 2023 before being sentenced at a separate hearing last week
The case was initially referred to Internal Audit in February 2022, as a result of the subject applying for an Omicron Hospitality and Leisure Grant (OHLG) of £2,667.
This grant was declined and referred for investigation as it was found that the applicant was running a takeaway, rather than a restaurant as claimed in his application. Takeaways were not eligible under this scheme as they were not required to close.
Following investigation, it was found that the applicant had also received a Local Restrictions Support Grant (LRSG) totaling £9,669.21 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, claiming to be an outdoor bar supplying alcoholic beverages when actually operating as a takeaway.
aways were not eligible under these schemes as takeaways were not required to close.
Mr Adenuga was interviewed twice by Council officers following investigation in June and July 2022. He admitted that he had made false applications to support his business.
He confirmed he had supplied false applications and documentation but was not able to claim any other funding to support his business.
