The former Charlton Athletic defender Richard Rufus has appeared at the high court accused of financial wrongdoing involving millions of pounds.
Rufus was declared bankrupt in October 2013 after a failed investment scheme and is at the centre of a financial probe alleging misappropriation of funds and the unregulated taking of deposits. A civil trial into the matter will be held after 24 June and the former Premier League player was ordered not to trade in other people’s money until then.
The official receiver is attempting to secure a bankruptcy restriction order that would prevent the 40-year-old from being a manager or director of a limited company. Rufus came out of bankruptcy last year but the Insolvency Service is pursuing the case against him.
Rufus, who represented himself in court, was given 14 days by registrar John Briggs to compile his evidence before a hearing. Judge Briggs said: “What do you say about using £3.5m of other people’s funds for your own benefit?” Rufus refused to answer without consulting a lawyer.
One of the individuals allegedly owed money by Rufus is Paul Elliott, the former Chelsea defender and a member of the Football Association’s inclusion advisory board. Elliott stepped down from a previous role with the FA and anti-discrimination organisation Kick It Out in 2013 after a text message exchange with Rufus became public, with the contents described as “discriminatory abusive comments”.
Rufus, a former England Under-21 international, was voted Charlton’s best ever defender in 2005 and is a born-again Christian.
