A London woman who invented a business to claim a £50,000 Covid Bounce Back loan before funnelling the money to Poland has been convicted of fraud.
Jagoda Rubaszko, 37, applied for the pandemic support money on April 26, 2021, and received approval just two days later, having claimed to run a business with an annual turnover of £210,000.
But an investigation by the Insolvency Service revealed the administrative services business did not exist, and the money had instead been sent to the bank accounts of five men in Poland.
Rubaszko, of Old Ruislip Road, Northolt, claimed to investigators that a man called Daniel had contacted her and given instructions on how to apply for the loan. She suggested he advised her to declare herself bankrupt to avoid having to repay the money.
But the Insolvency Service said Rubaszko did not go on to provide any information to back up her claims about outside help.
The Covid Bounce Back Loans scheme was established in the pandemic to help businesses struggling with the impact of lockdowns and restrictions.
The government agreed to loans to companies across the UK, with terms that money must start to be repaid within 12 months and should be returned in full within ten years.
Rubaszko first appeared in court in March and indicted she would plead guilty to fraud by false representation.
At Isleworth crown court on June 5, she was sentenced to 18 months in prison, suspended for 21 months.
Under the terms of the suspended sentence order, she must complete 175 hours of community and live within a tagged 7.30pm to 6am curfew.
The Insolvency Service says it will now use legal means to try to recover the fraudulently obtained money.
Mark Stephens, the service’s chief investigator, said: “Jagoda Rubaszko claimed to be a business director, but she had no business at all. She invented a turnover of £210,000 even though her bank accounts showed no business dealings.
“She invented a man called Daniel, who she has blamed for her actions, claiming he had told her to apply for the loan, and she believed she’d get away with this by declaring herself bankrupt.
“What is definitely real, is that she took money which was meant to help businesses during a difficult period, and sent that funding off to the bank accounts of five men in Poland.
“As a result, reality has now caught up with her.”
The Insolvency Service said Rubaszko fraudulently claimed her business had been established in March 2020 and achieved a six-figure turnover. But her tax returns revealed an income of no higher than £15,100 per year between 2019 and 2021.
When under investigation, Rubaszko claimed she had paid £17,500 of the loan to ‘Daniel’ as commission for his advice.
However the bank transfers showed 22 smaller transaction to five different bank accounts in Poland over a two-month period.
Rubaszko is also now under Bankruptcy Restrictions which last until 2033 and prevent her from running a company.
