Joseph Harrison, director of South East Commercials, has been disqualified from acting as a company director for 12 years after receiving a Covid loan his business was not entitled to.
The Insolvency Service announced that Harrison, 38, formerly of Wrotham, Kent and now living in Spain, misused the government’s Covid Bounce Back Loan Scheme by applying for two loans totalling £90,000 for his company.
Businesses were only permitted to receive one such loan under the scheme.
- Insolvency Service clamps down with tough disqualification and repayment order
- Dealer banned for 12 years after fraudulently securing two Covid Bounce Back Loans worth £90,000
- Ordered to repay over £38,000 after second loan application exposed as deceitful
Joseph Harrison, director of South East Commercials, has been disqualified from acting as a company director for 12 years after receiving a Covid loan his business was not entitled to.
The Insolvency Service announced that Harrison, 38, formerly of Wrotham, Kent and now living in Spain, misused the government’s Covid Bounce Back Loan Scheme by applying for two loans totalling £90,000 for his company.
Businesses were only permitted to receive one such loan under the scheme.
South East Commercials, a used car dealership incorporated in May 2020, initially secured a £45,000 loan in June of that year.
However, two months later, Harrison submitted a second application for an additional £45,000, falsely declaring that it was the first and only application made on behalf of his business.
The company was dissolved in January 2025. An investigation by the Insolvency Service found that Harrison signed the second application himself, despite later claiming that he was unaware only one loan was allowed and that the first application had been submitted by a third party.
No evidence of third-party involvement was found.
Following a High Court hearing in London on 15 April, Harrison was disqualified under sections 6 and 15A of the Company Directors Disqualification Act 1986. His ban came into effect on 6 May 2025.
Ann Oliver, chief investigator at the Insolvency Service, said: “Joseph Harrison applied for and received a second Covid loan when he was only entitled to one for his car sales business. A 12-year ban is a significant disqualification and demonstrates the seriousness of his actions.
“The Insolvency Service is committed to ensuring those who abused this scheme – which was designed to benefit the economy and help small businesses – are brought to justice.”
The Bounce Back Loan Scheme was introduced during the pandemic to support small and medium-sized businesses, offering loans of between £2,000 and £50,000 at a low, government-guaranteed interest rate.
Harrison has also been ordered to repay the outstanding balance of £38,295 from the second, illegitimate loan.
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