December 6, 2024

Peverel / Cirrus price-fixing stooge says sorry

The owner of one of the three stooge companies that helped Peverel’s subsidiary Cirrus wrongly win lucrative contracts at retirement sites deeply regrets his involvement in the scam.

Jeremy Owen, 38, of Owens Installations, says he got caught up in the Cirrus scandal because he was young and naïve and wishes he could “turn the clock back”.

“What we were doing was completely corrupt,” says Owens, who was the smallest fish in a scam that saw 65 sites cheated in tenders worth £1.4 million.

Peverel has offered £100,000 to the contingency funds of the sites affected and terms the sum a “goodwill” payment.

But Owen was the only one involved in the entire scandal who paid his formal censure: a £1,777 fine.

Peverel and Cirrus got away with orchestrating the scam scot-free after the Office of Fair Trading offered them a “leniency” deal for their co-operation with its inquiry.

MPs Sir Peter Bottomley and Ed Davey have described this decision as “outrageous”.

The other two stooges, Glyn Jackson Communication (fined £35,700) and Peter O’Rourke Electrical (fined £15,933), avoided any financial penalty by going into administration in 2012.

Owen chose not to do so and paid up.

Speaking to Campaign against retirement leasehold exploitation, Owen said:

“We learn by our mistakes. I do not want to have anything to do with Peverel or with Cirrus or any of the other companies that were involved.

“I worked for Peverel for 14 years. But it is a chapter of my life that I would like to close.

“It was a good company, but then greed took over and it became corrupt.

“If you could turn the clock back I would hope not to have been so naïve. I just wish I had not got involved. I am very sorry to have done so.”

Owen was astonished to learn from Campaign against retirement leasehold exploitation that Glyn Jackson was back working at a Peverel site, the Adelphi in Harrogate. Reported on Campaign against retirement leasehold exploitation here

“I was told that Glyn Jackson would not ever work on Peverel schemes again, so I am surprised that he is being re-employed.

“I obviously paid my fine and I am the only person who did so. I did not simply fold the company as the others did.

“I cannot believe that the OFT investigators let those responsible for this walk away scot-free.”

Owen declines to discuss the matter in detail, but says:

“I did not make much money out of the scam.

“No payments were made to me for tendering for the sites. It was not quite as dark and seedy as that. You were paid back by contracts to install systems at other sites.

“But I never installed equipment at sites where I had nominally bid for the work.”

Mr Owen is adamant that the scam went to the heart of Cirrus.

“I cannot imagine anyone in the management structure not being perfectly well aware of what was going on.

“I have no loyalty to Peverel or to Cirrus. I think what we were doing was completely corrupt.

“I felt it was right that I pay my dues.”

Sir Peter Bottomley has said that the pensioner victims of the scam, that ran between 2005 and 2009, were “the direct victims of unlawful and probably criminal actions”.

Comments

  1. Charles Says:

    WE have to thank Campaign against retirement leasehold exploitation/LKP/About Peverel for the platforms and the Campaign led by Campaign against retirement leasehold exploitation into the corrupt behaviour of Peverel/Cirrus?

    Campaign against retirement leasehold exploitation/LKP Says:-

    Peverel Cirrus price-fixing stooge says sorry.

    The owner of one of the three stooge companies that helped Peverel’s subsidiary Cirrus wrongly win lucrative contracts at retirement sites deeply regrets his involvement in the scam.

    Jeremy Owen, 38, of Owens Installations, says he got caught up in the Cirrus Scandal because he was young and naïve and wishes he could “turn the clock back”.

    “What we were doing was completely corrupt,” says Owen, who was the smallest fish in a scam that saw 65 sites cheated in tenders worth £1.4 million.

    Charles Says:

    We only need two further apologies now from Glyn Jackson and O`Rourke and an explanation of how the Price Fixing started, when it started, the areas that were not mentioned in the OFT investigations,and who was involved?

    Either Glyn Jackson and O`Rourke can contact me on these sites?.

  2. This follows on from a comment from AM on LKP today regarding how the Price Fixing for Jeremy Owen was allowed and continued.

    Charles Says:

    We were tricked into updating our Warden Call System (WCS) in 2007/08. We had previously been informed in 2006/07 that the WCS was obsolete and Cirrus Communication were asked to price in February 2007 for Two Separate Options?

    The Two Options were:-

    1. Replace with similar £15,500
    2. Update with new digital system an extra (£5,600) total circa £21,000

    In the mean time during on 24/06/2007 we were informed that a storm took out all the EMERGENCY WARDEN CALL SYSTEM to all 28 flats, including the House Managers Flat.

    Cirrus Communication and Glyn Jackson (GJ) Tendered for the replacement.

    Cirrus Communications tender was £5,000 less than GJ and was offered the contract.

    Cirrus Communication then SUB-CONTRACTED the WCS Up-Date to Glyn Jackson, who undertook the EMERGENCY REPLACEMENT some 9 months after, the system had failed, completing ON THE 01/04/2008.

    No consultation occurred regarding the update and it took me 4 years of asking our Area/Regional Manager, many questions regarding the Price Fixing and failing to correctly consult.

    Finally Chris Owens, Peverel Customer Relations Manager, admitted, that of course Glyn Jackson was used to undertake the works at Ashbrook Court, as they were already a Sub-Contractor used by Peverel Management Services Ltd and Cirrus Communication?

    So AM, from this below was what Jeremy Owen stated:-

    ” you were paid back by contracts to install systems at other sites”

    This was how Peverel Management Services Ltd were able to Price Fix for 5 years making £1.4 million by cheating the elderly and infirmed pensioners?

    At the same time providing continued work, for those who had cheated, whilst running a Collusive Price Fixing Cartel?

    Reply

  3. Clearly; I speculated some time ago that a ring might operate by sharing out the work. In this case it seems his admission that by preparing tenders, which by implication must have had to involve a discussion of don’t put in a figure less than £X, they were repaid through other works put their way.

    Now that opens a new question: if as it seems he never got the work that you refer to above, that means that he was allotted works outside the scope of the enquiry, and therefore those involved have to answer to “conspiracy” on other works and client monies, or, at best, not selecting procuring work on a fair and reasonable basis.

  4. AM
    What would we do without your experience and logic which is not always appreciated.

  5. This was in the 257 page report into the Price Fixing carried out by the OFT and released on 06/12/2013.
    The OFT redacted the names of those interviewed

    Cirrus Communication Services Ltd (CCSL)
    Peverel Management Services Ltd (PMSL)

    2.56. In addition to gathering documentary evidence, the OFT interviewed 13 witnesses who worked for either CCSL or PMSL during the period relating to the Investigation in July 2011, October 2011 and June 2012. Each of these interviews were recorded and transcribed. The witnesses interviewed by the OFT were as follows:
    Peverel witness Position (during the Relevant Period) Date of interview
    […] A CCSL Contracts manager 6 July 2011
    […] A senior PMSL employee 6 July 2011
    […] A PMSL Director 6 July 2011
    […] A CCSL Contracts manager 6 July 2011
    […] A senior CCSL employee 21 July 2011
    […] A senior PMSL employee 21 July 2011
    […] A CCSL Director 4 October 2011
    […] A CCSL Estimator 4 October 2011
    […] A senior CCSL employee 6 October 2011 and 10 November 2011
    […] A CCSL Director 19 October 2011
    […] A CCSL Contracts Administrator 13 June 2012
    […] A CCSL Admin Support Supervisor 13 June 2012
    […] A PMSL Senior Administrator 14 June 2012

    2.57. Jackson and O’Rourke voluntarily made their respective directors available for interview. These individuals were interviewed by the OFT as follows:
    Party Witness Position Date of interview
    Jackson […] Director July 2011
    O’Rourke […] Director August 2011

    2.58. Owens declined to make its director available for interview.
    2.59. The OFT met with both sets of complainants jointly on:
    11 October 2011, 27 September 2012 and 24 July 2013.

    Even though I asked the OFT under the FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT they redacted names and said it was not in the PUBLIC INTREST.

    The OFT Investigation took nearly 4 years, costing £500,000 and find 3 sub-contractors for Price Fixing.

    The instigators Peverel Management Services Ltd and Cirrus Communication Services Ltd were both allowed to get of SCOT FREE BECAUSE THEY CO-OPERATED.

    The 3 sub-contractors were fined
    Jackson £35,700: Refused to pay, went into Liquidation, started up new Company Safeguard, found recently still working for Peverel.

    O’Rourke £15,700: Refused to pay, went into Liquidation.

    Owens, fined £1,777.00 bless him he paid and later apologised still working, but he states never again for Peverel Management Services Ltd trading as Peverel Retirement.

    Why would they continue to have redacted the names of Directors as those in charge supposed to have all left and there is no one still working at Peverel Management [Campaign against retirement leasehold exploitation: Janet Entwistle, of Peverel, informed … ] Campaign against retirement leasehold exploitation and Sir Peter Bottomley.

    NOTE

    THE WORD SHE USED INVOLVED, MAY BE CORRECT.

    HOW MANY ARE THERE, WHO KNEW WHAT WAS GOING ON BUT REFUSED TO DO ANYTHING?