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UK court sentences Indian-origin couple for director ban violation
Bharat Jogia received a 13-year disqualification after fraud allegations went uncontested.
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Jeffin T. Kaleekal - Mon, 06, Apr 2026
- 03:58 EDT
- 31
Representative image / Pexels
Birmingham Crown Court sentenced an Indian-origin couple, Bharat and Louise Jogia, for violating a previous order that disqualified Bharat Jogia from holding directorial positions.
Jogia, 71, was handed a 13-year disqualification in 2014 after he did not dispute that he caused Jogia Jewellers Limited to wrongly claim more than £2 million (USD 26,51,200) from HM Revenue and Customs.
The UK court sentenced Jogia for violating this order and continuing to run and control companies for more than five years. His wife, 57-year-old Louise Jogia, was found guilty of aiding and abetting him and was also sentenced.
Bharat Jogia was given a nine-month prison sentence, suspended for 18 months, and ordered to complete 100 hours of unpaid community work, along with an additional 10-year director disqualification.
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Louise Jogia, 57, received a seven-month suspended prison sentence and was also banned from serving as a company director for 10 years.
A resident of the West Midlands region of England, Jogia was disqualified from running, managing or promoting any company until 2027, according to a statement issued by the U.K. government.
Ignoring the ban, he continued to control pharmaceutical companies Diamond Pharma Limited and BHJ Consulting Ltd, aided by Louise Jogia, the official director of BHJ Consulting Ltd.
The Insolvency Service found that Bharat Jogia actively managed Diamond Pharma Limited in breach of his disqualification order. His activities included instructing lawyers, approving accounts, authorizing customer and supplier agreements, managing staff and receiving more than £80,000 in consultancy payments.
Mark Stephens, chief investigator at the Insolvency Service, said in a statement, “Bharat Jogia showed complete contempt for the law by breaching his director disqualification ban for more than five years. Director disqualifications exist to protect the public and maintain confidence in UK businesses. When someone is banned from running companies, it is because they have proven themselves unfit to do so.”
He added, “Louise Jogia acted as a front to shield her husband, providing signed documentation and support where needed.”
The chief investigator also noted that ignoring a disqualification is a serious criminal offense that undermines the system designed to keep “rogue directors” out of positions where they can cause further harm to creditors, employees and the wider economy.
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