The UK Serious Fraud Office has announced that it is investigating suspected money laundering and fraud in connection with the business dealings of Gavin Woodhouse and his associates. Woodhouse, a UK national, is said to have raised millions of pounds to build or refurbish long-term care facilities and hotels between 2013 and 2019. The manner in which he solicited the investments, and the use to which he put the funds, may be the focus of the investigation. To further the investigation, the SFO has invited UK-based investors to fill out a questionnaire by the end of September 2021, and to submit documents relating to the investments they made in any of Woodhouse’ projects. The information requested will, according to the SFO, help “to establish the circumstances of the investments offered, to identify and pursue new information, and to progress the investigation as quickly as possible.” The SFO suggested that, although the recipients of the initial requests for information are UK investors, subsequent stages of the investigation may involve jurisdictions outside of the UK.
The SFO declined to provide further detail.