URGENT: Help us to help you

The Connaught Action Group is asking all investors in the Connaught Income Fund to help us help you get your money back.

Last February, some investors were approached by BBC Panorama in connection with an edition that was to expose instances of British savers, especially pensioners, losing money when investment schemes went wrong. An investor and a key whistle-blower kindly agreed to talk to the programme-makers and an excellent package was produced by an award-winning team.

Unfortunately, the other case that was due to be highlighted resulted in the BBC attracting some adverse publicity for a minor infringement of journalistic best practice. The perpetrator of the scam threatened the BBC with litigation; sadly the broadcaster reacted by pulling it at short notice. We understand that he has himself subsequently been a person of considerable interest to the Police and that there is no obstacle to the edition being shown. But still it sits on the shelf.

We would like every investor to email or write to Fran Unsworth, Head of News and Current Affairs, at the BBC, making the following points in your own words:

• How much you invested
• How much you’ve had back to date (about 10 percent)
• How much you could have lost (about 70 percent)
• That this money was either pension money or savings intended to keep you comfortable in your dotage
• That the case raises issues relevant to every pension investor in the UK about the competence and probity of large firms such as Capita that manage investors’ pension money and the regulator, the Financial Conduct Authority, that is supposed to oversee them
• If you have a ‘hard luck’ story, please tell it!

It is important that correspondence is the legitimate voice of wronged investors so we would ask that IFAs do NOT write in unless they are themselves investors. Instead, please encourage your clients who were in the fund to do so.

Ms Unsworth’s email address is fran.unsworth@bbc.co.uk and her address is:
4th Floor
BBC New Broadcasting House
Portland Place
London W1A 1AA

With the FCA still showing no signs of issuing a restitution order against Capita, we need the programme to go out as soon as possible to keep up the pressure on both poacher and gamekeeper. Please do it now!