The former owner of collapsed department store BHS Dominic Chappell has said he is happy to be banned from serving as a company director following a court ruling.
In the latest in a string of court hearings, Chappell, who is currently involved in discussions with five separate government departments, told an Insolvency and Companies Court hearing in London that he “just cannot fight anymore”.
Chappell appeared in court yesterday after business secretary Greg Clark took legal action against him under the terms of the legislation governing the disqualification of company directors.
In March, bosses at the Insolvency Service, which comes under Mr Clark’s umbrella, said they had written to Mr Chappell and three other former BHS directors, saying they intended to bring proceedings following an investigation into the collapse of department store chain in 2016.
Chappell represented himself at the hearing.
“I don’t have the money at the moment to ask for representation from a legal firm,” he said.
Outside the court, he added: “I have got five government departments either wanting money or costing me money at the moment.
“I don’t mind being barred as a company director but I do dispute some of the evidence they are presenting.”
Chappell infamously bought BHS from Sir Philip Green’s Arcadia Group for £1 in 2015 before it collapsed into administration 13 months later, leaving 11,000 people out of work and a £571 million pensions deficit in its wake.
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