Pensions Regulator to prosecute former BHS owner Dominic Chappell

The Pensions Regulator is prosecuting former BHS owner Dominic Chappell for failing to disclose information in connection with the sale of the retailer.

The regulator said Chappell failed to provide information requested during its investigation into the sale of BHS, which he bought from Philip Green back in 2015 for just £1.

Three-times bankrupt Chappell - who was arrested by tax officers last year amid claims that his Swiss Rock business owed HMRC over £500,000 in unpaid corporation tax - has been summoned to appear at Brighton Magistrates' Court on 20 September to face three charges of neglecting or refusing to provide information and documents without a reasonable excuse.

The regulator requested the information from Chappell in April 2016, May 2016 and February 2017.

Chappell bought BHS through a consortium called Retail Acquisitions, promising at the time to inject millions of pounds into the struggling retailer. However, BHS went into administration just over a year later and it emerged that Chappell had extracted around £17m from the business, with an estimated £6m owed to BHS by Retail Acquisitions when it collapsed.

The high street chain went into administration in April 2016, causing 11,000 job losses and leaving behind a £571m pension deficit.