Arrest warrant issued for Lib Dem donor
The Liberal Democrats’ most significant donor Michael Brown has skipped bail and is being sought by police.
The Scottish millionaire businessman was due to stand trial for fraud this September but has now dismissed an application for bail.
An arrest warrant has now been issued after being approved by a judge from Southwark crown court.
“Brown, 42, is due to stand trial on September 8th charged with 18 offences and has failed to comply with his bail conditions,” a spokesperson for City of London police said.
“Efforts are being made to contact him. A further hearing on the case scheduled for August 11.”
The charges he faces include “money laundering, theft, perverting the course of justice and other fraud-related offences”, the spokesperson added.
Mr Brown, 42, donated £2.4 million to the Lib Dems in the approach to the 2005 general election.
Subsequent investigations confirmed the company he had used to channel the money into the party had broken electoral rules.
He was sentenced for two years after admitting perjury in 2006 and going on the run to the Mediterranean.
The perjury offence was prosecuted privately by the HSBC bank, who suspected Mr Brown had sworn a false affidavit over the use of company funds. He then lied to the high court and surrendered his passport but obtained a new one deceptively and was consequently arrested in Majorca in May 2006 by the crown prosecution service.
