Robert Statham Raven

A British national who was arrested on Christmas Eve as part of an investment fraud investigation has now had a civil lawsuit filed against him in which $120 million is being sought on behalf of alleged victims. The action was filed at the U. K. High Court on January 5, 2005 by the liquidators/administrators of five corporate members of the Imperial Consolidated Group, which operated in England and offshore centers before collapsing in 2002 owing approximately US$400 million.

A sixth person has been arrested in the United Kingdom as part of an investigation by the Serious Fraud Office into the Imperial Consolidated Group, which collapsed in 2002 owing approximately $400 million. Robert Statham Raven, a 44-year-old British national believed to reside in continental Europe, was arrested on Christmas Eve in Monmouthshire, Wales, where he was apparently spending the holidays.

In the wake of action taken by Swiss authorities against the Zurich based Sovereign Finance Group, which is being investigated for money laundering involving Russia and the Caribbean, regulators in St. Vincent & the Grenadines are taking action against Sovereign

A new group that is operated from the same offices as Imperial Consolidated by people who are described as ex-Imperial employees has denied that it has become involved with a Bermuda-registered mutual fund. A spokesman for Alpha Toronto described as "incorrect" an article that was recently published in a magazine operated by British-based Charterhouse Communications.

Three weeks after OffshoreAlert exposed their role in a failed hotel in England, Lincoln Fraser and Jared Brook resigned their positions with the UK-based Imperial Consolidated Group. The resignations of Fraser and Brook as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, respectively, of Imperial Consolidated was announced in a press release dated April 23.