Statement on Gavison investigation

[Katherine West]

Mr Speaker,

 

With your permission I will make a brief statement.

 

As the House will know well by now, Gavison Insurance unlawfully refused to pay out insurance claims of families hit by Cyclone Dick. The Chancellor has made a separate public statement on the matter and on the action we have taken to protect homeowners. I want to briefly update the House on the criminal proceedings.

 

After the Insurer’s actions become public, William Gavison, the CEO of Gavison Insurance, took a significant sum of money from company accounts and fled. A warrant has been issued for his arrest. I am advised that Mr Gavison has fled overseas. An interpol notice is out and we are in close contact with our international partners. Given the severity of his crimes, that have directly cost the British taxpayer which has had to step in to protect his customers; as well as Gavison’s creditors and customers, the Government is determined to pursue him to bring him to justice.

 

In the meantime, I have discussed the matter in detail with William Hughes, the Director General of the Serious Organised Crime Agency and impressed upon him the urgency of the matter in the public interest. He and SOCA will be working closely with other agencies to not only pursue Mr Gavinson, but to undertake a full criminal investigation of the matter and anyone complicit. 

 

In the meantime, I have also applied for and the courts have granted a Restraint Order on Mr William Gavison’s assets under the Proceeds of Crime Act. A restraint order, Mr Speaker, is the first step towards the legal seizure of his assets, and put those assets that remain in England and Wales outside of his control or of or anyone complicit in his activities. 

 

I will update the House further in the coming days on the progress of the investigation as and when it is appropriate to make operational details public

[Sir Grant Kingston]

Mr. Speaker,

I thank the Home Secretary for her update to the House on this ongoing serious situation. As I recently said at a protest outside a London insurance company office, it is a disaster of its own that fat cats, like William Gavison, are hiding in their ivory towers laughing down at those who saw their properties destroyed in the recent flooding crisis. He has taken the money and run, and is disgustingly refusing to pay out the money those affected are rightfully owed, hiding behind the poor excuse of “it was an Act of God”. Shame on him! Shame on those companies and directors for what they have done!

Mr. Speaker, I am sure the whole House will agree when I say that I hope that Mr. Gavison is found soon, extradited back to the UK, and faces the full extent of the law, for the heinous crimes he has committed, and the damage he has caused by his actions. I hope the Home Secretary will give this House the guarantee that that will indeed be the case. I would also like to hope that the insurance companies complicit in recent incidents of not paying out the money people were rightfully owed are held to full account for their repulsive actions, and to ensure all affected receive their compensation.

I would also like to welcome the news, Mr. Speaker, that the Director General of SOCA will be working in conjunction with other agencies to undertake a full investigation in Mr Gavison’s crimes and those involved. Furthermore I commend the Home Secretary for appealing to the courts to freeze and control the assets of Mr Gavison.

Mr. Speaker, I hope I can have a commitment from the Government today that they will not let those affected by the flooding crisis be left behind. Labour would like to once again make the call upon the Government we have previously made in our Flood Strategy for a support fund to be set aside to help those affected by the flooding crisis to help rebuild their lives.

Mr. Speaker, last year we saw the worst flooding this country has ever seen since records began. We need to ensure that we see those affected compensated for their losses, and their communities rebuilt. We need to see an official flooding strategy put in place so we never see a flooding crisis of the likes of this again.

[Katherine West]

Mr Speaker

I heartily agree that taking millions of pounds that should have been in the pockets of people who had lost their home, and absconding to a foreign country to sip a mai tai in the beach is an extreme act of shame. It is also illegal, and my full expectation is that when he is found he will be extradited and he will face the full force of the law.

[Sir Grant Kingston]

Mr. Speaker,

I thank the Home Secretary for agreeing to my words.