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SINGAPORE: Singapore police are investigating a company linked to two businessmen who were trying to buy Newcastle United after an accounting firm filed a police report by unauthorized firms on the group’s financial statements.
The two Singaporean entrepreneurs, cousins Terence and Nelson Loh, head the Bellagraph Nova Group together with a Chinese business partner.
The group’s bid to buy the English Premier League soccer club had a downside after reports emerged last month of doctored photos purporting to show former US President Barack Obama at a meeting with his founders in Paris, among other claims. inconsistent.
Ernst and Young said on Saturday (September 19) that they did not sign the Novena Global Healthcare Group documents, but instead served as auditor for a Singapore subsidiary in 2017.
READ: Former US ambassador resigns from Singapore firm linked to Newcastle United bidders
READ: The company in the Newcastle United takeover bid admits it tampered with Obama’s photo
“Ernst & Young LLP were never the auditors of Novena Global Healthcare Group (incorporated in the Cayman Islands),” a spokesperson said in a statement sent to AFP.
Police confirmed that a report was filed and said they were investigating the matter.
The Novena Global Healthcare Group is owned by Lohs, according to the Straits Times.
Terence Loh denied wrongdoing through his lawyer, the newspaper reported.
AFP has contacted Terence and Nelson Loh for comment.
BN Group’s offer came after a Saudi-backed consortium withdrew its offer to buy Newcastle in late July, following a months-long wait for Premier League approval.
Fans gather outside St James’ Park ahead of a 2018 Premier League match between Newcastle United and Chelsea. (File photo: Matthew Mohan)
The company has blamed “wandering individuals” for the manipulated photos of Obama.
It has made other questionable claims, including the fact that it is based at a prestigious Paris address.
A visit from an AFP journalist found that the Paris office address belongs to workspace provider Regus. AFP also found that no company called Bellagraph Nova Group or BN Group is registered in France.
The Lohs are also majority shareholders in professional advisory services firm Axington, which saw a series of resignations from its board after the Bellagraph Nova disclosures emerged, including that of Kirk Wagar, the former U.S. ambassador to Singapore.
