Forest Fraud: Director Banned for 11 Years Over £635,000 Grant Scam
Pritesh Ladwa, 33, from Sutton Coldfield, has been banned from acting as a company director for 11 years after a £635,000 forestry grant scandal. Ladwa was the sole director of The Forest Project (TFP) Ltd, a company set up in 2010 to turn brownfield land into new forests across the UK.
Six Grants, No Trees
Between 2013 and 2014, Ladwa secured six hefty grants from the Forestry Commission to create woodlands in South Yorkshire, County Durham, Derbyshire, and Nottinghamshire. But there was a catch: The Forest Project didn’t own any of the land when applying for the funds. Even worse, Ladwa falsely claimed all the required work had been completed.
The Forestry Commission demanded repayment after uncovering these false claims. Yet, by the time TFP went bust in August 2018, the company still owed a staggering £536,870. Only one grant was ever paid back, following an earlier criminal confiscation in 2016.
Cash ‘Disappears’ as Company Collapses
The Insolvency Service launched a probe into Ladwa’s conduct. They found that between January and July 2018, Ladwa paid himself over £67,000 and transferred £30,000 to an associate after selling company assets. Crucially, he failed to provide proper accounts to the liquidator, raising serious red flags.
Harsh Penalty to Warn Others
On 22 January, Ladwa agreed to an 11-year director ban starting 12 February 2021. He accepted he gave misleading info and broke grant terms. This ban bars him from running or influencing any company without court approval.
Rob Clarke, Chief Investigator at the Insolvency Service, said:
“Pritesh Ladwa knew when he applied for these grants that the company did not meet the criteria. He compounded this by falsely claiming all work was done. Although convicted for one grant, this lengthy disqualification sends a clear message: grant fraud won’t be tolerated.”
