New revelations about Dame Shirley Porter's deals in the British Virgin Islands

Dame Shirley Porter former leader of Westminster Council 
arrives at the High Court in London to give evidence in the
'homes-for-votes' affair.
(PHOTO: AFP/DAVE GAYWOOD-STR)

Monday, November 10, 2003

EDINBURGH, Scotland: Hard on the heels of reports last week that investigators have uncovered millions of dollars hidden by Dame Shirley Porter and her family in a family trust in the British Virgin Islands, comes a further report that Scottish land sales to a BVI company will be investigated by Westminster Council as it pursues the Tesco supermarket heiress for a £37 million (US$63 million) surcharge owed to the local authority.

According to the Sunday Herald, Westminster Council's legal investigation will now seek to establish if there is a connection between Porter and Oakum Association Ltd, a BVI company to which she sold her Scottish assets. At one time Porter, who was found guilty of squandering millions of pounds of public money to rig votes for the Tory council in Westminster, owned substantial land holdings in Scotland. 

Investigations by the Who Owns Scotland project have established that, in one week in June 1998, all land holdings she owned were sold to Oakum for £620,000 (US$1 million).

Oakum Association Ltd is incorporated in the British Virgin Islands, with its place of business registered at a post office box in Geneva.

Porter, who now lives in Israel, was once said to be the 20th richest woman in Europe with an estimated fortune of £60 million (US$100 million), but when ordered last year by a court to disclose her assets, she listed just £300,000 (US$500,000) worth.

A BBC investigation, earlier this year, linked her to Whitecoat Investments Ltd and the Sunset Trading Company, both also registered in the British Virgin Islands. 

Colin Wilson, Westminster's head of legal services, said: "Amongst other things, we obtained disclosure orders in the BVI against companies and individuals who, as a consequence, were required to disclose information about Dame Shirley's present and former wealth. At this stage we are obliged to maintain the confidentiality of the information disclosed."

Porter has denied that the companies have anything to do with her. 

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