Worldwide Bio Refineries

Seven men were convicted on 12 September 2011 at Ipswich Crown Court for their roles in an £8 million boiler-room fraud. The Spanish-based operation targeted thousands of investors in the UK, applying high pressure telesales techniques to push shares in a bio-diesel company, Worldwide Bio Refineries. The one defendant who pleaded guilty gave evidence for the prosecution.  They were all sentenced by His Honour Justice Overbury on 4 October 2011 to prison terms ranging from three to seven years.

More information on the SFO’s case against Worldwide Bio Refineries is available on our archived website here.

Dennis Potter: Confiscation

Dennis Potter, a former Director of Worldwide Bio Refineries, was sentenced on 1 October 2014 at Folkestone Magistrates’ Court to six years imprisonment for failure to pay a confiscation order worth £2,492,499.58.

An application to vary the amount of the confiscation order against Dennis Potter was heard on 6 October at Ipswich Crown Court. A variation to the Confiscation Order made on the 6 October 2015 was amended administratively on the 8 October 2015 from the original figure of £2,492,499.58 to £214,866.51. As a consequence, the default sentence has been reduced from 6 years to 1 year to reflect this.

Mr Potter, was originally sentenced to seven years’ imprisonment in October 2011 for his part in an £8m bio-diesel investment fraud.

Information for victims due compensation: Frequently Asked Questions

5 April 2016

Victims of the Worldwide Bio Refineries fraud who are entitled to receive a compensation payment as a result of the confiscation order against Dennis Potter were sent letters updating them on the case on 25 January 2016.

Unfortunately, as we explained in this letter, due to the large number of victims in this case (approximately 1200) we do not have the resources to enter into individual correspondence with victims or their guardians or next of kin.

However we understood that many recipients would have further questions about the compensation process and invited these so that we could answer them as best we can on our website.

Please find below a list of frequently asked questions with answers.

1. Q:I cannot understand the third page of the letter I received – what does it say?

   A: The paragraph on the third page of the letter was written in Welsh and explained that upon request the whole letter could be sent out in Welsh. It contained no further details about the case.

2. Q: I have changed address. How can I make sure that any future compensation will reach me?

   A: As HM Courts and Tribunal Service is responsible for the payment of compensation you will need to inform them directly of these new details. You should title your correspondence R v Dennis Potter, give your name and the details of your former and new address to:

   HM Courts & Tribunals Service

   South East Regional Confiscation Unit

   Pencester Road

   Dover

   CT16 1BS

   Or by Email to:

   [email protected]

3. Q: My spouse, relative, close friend or someone I cared for can no longer deal with their affairs or has since died. How do I ensure that any future compensation will go to their guardian/estate/next of kin?

   A: As HM Courts & Tribunal Service is responsible for the payment of compensation you will need to inform them of these details. You should put in your correspondence the title R v Dennis Potter, the name of the person that can no longer deal with their affairs or name of the deceased and your relationship to them. HM Courts and Tribunal Service will then be able to advise you further as to what action is required. Contact details for HM Courts and Tribunal Service are set out above at Question 2.

4. Q: I am unhappy with the outcome of the hearing and/or do not understand why the court reached the decision. Can you explain it?

   A: Mr Potter’s defence team made the application and this was heard at the Crown Court. The Serious Fraud Office did not support this application and attended at Court to ensure that all relevant information was before the judge. The judgment explaining the Court’s decision can be found below.

   R v Dennis Potter - Application for certificate of inadequacy
   Last Updated: 6 Ebrill, 2016
   
   

5. Q: The letter explained that there is still £137,500 outstanding against Dennis Potter under the Confiscation Order. When will I know if there is any further compensation being made available?

   A: We advise that you check back on this webpage regularly as any updates in the case will be published here. The Serious Fraud Office is actively pursuing this figure but unfortunately we cannot predict if this full amount will be recovered and if so, when this will be. HM Courts & Tribunal Service will distribute any amounts received to victims.